Jailed protester, 65, placed in punishment cell

June 30, BPN. Alena Hnaŭk, an activist from Pružany, Brest region, is in a punishment cell, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported on June 30.

Why the 65-year-old activist was taken to the punishment cell in a Baranavičy jail, Brest region, is unknown. The human rights group said she would stay there until tomorrow.

On June 17, the Pružany District Court sentenced Hnaŭk to three and a half years in prison and a 3,200 rubels (some $1,200) fine.

Judge Juryj Žytko found her guilty of libeling Alaksandr Łukašenka and discrediting Belarus over several social media posts about the illegal migrant crisis in Belarus.

Hnaŭk was a convict in the “round dance case.” On September 13, 2020, protesters blocked the traffic at an intersection in Brest, singing songs and performing round dances.

The protesters were dispersed with a water cannon and a criminal case followed. In terms of the number of people convicted, this case remains the largest in the history of Belarus.

Human rights activists say Hnaŭk’s persecution is politically motivated.