Courts hear at least 162 administrative political cases in August – rights group

September 4, BPN. In August, Belarusian courts heard at least 162 politically motivated cases opened under the Administrative Offences Code, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.

Some 70 percent, 114 cases, were linked to “dissemination of extremist content.”

The center knows the result of only about half of these hearings: 43 arrests and 33 fines. In addition, at least 33 mobile phones were confiscated as means of committing offenses.

“The Belarusian authorities continue to prosecute under administrative articles Belarusians actively expressing their discontent with the government and participating in anti-war protests. Security forces organize ‘raids’ in regional cities, sending locals to jail for subscription to ‘extremist channels.’ Also, detainees continue to be re-arrested upon release under new [police] reports and held in inhumane conditions for months in a row,” Viasna said.