Social democrat’s Łukašenka libel case goes to court

August 23, BPN. The Minsk Region Prosecutor’s Office has referred to court a criminal case against a Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) member, trade union activist Ihar Lednik, the Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

It calls Lednik “L” – a “previously unconvicted 61-year-old Barysaŭ resident” accused of libeling Alaksandr Łukašenka. It says that at some point between June and December 2020, L submitted an article titled “Belarus’ Internationally Recognized Neutrality a Guarantee of Security in the OSCE Region” to a magazine.

“This article was published in the printed version on December 28, 2020, and posted online on June 7, 2021,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said. It contained deliberately false, disgraceful and humiliating information about the head of state, accusing him of “particularly serious crimes, including against the security of mankind,” it added.

The man is held in pre-trial detention.

Lednik was arrested on April 18, when a new wave of persecution hit independent trade unions. He was first jailed for 15 days, and then confronted with criminal charges.

Human rights activists say his persecution is politically motivated.