Update on trials, arrests, detention conditions

September 8, BPN. Human rights defenders documented new cases of politically-motivated persecution on September 7.

Trials

The Hrodna Regional Court sentenced Maryna Sankievič, from Staryja Darohi, Minsk region, to seven years in prison on charges of inciting hatred, insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka, gross violations of public order and mass riots, presumably over Telegram comments, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Further details of the case remain unknown. This is one of the harshest sentences handed down recently on similar charges.

A court in Homiel sentenced Mikałaj Dzemčanka to two years in prison for allegedly discrediting the Republic of Belarus in online comments on the 2021 shootout involving an IT engineer and KGB officers, known as the “Zielcer case.”

On August 19, Mikałaj Serhijenia from Minsk was sentenced to a fine and 20 months in prison for inciting hatred and insulting a public official in a similar case.

Another “Zielcer case” commenters, Cimur Hajrulin from Brest and Jaŭhien Rakievič from Stoŭbcy, Minsk region, were sentenced in August to two and a half and two years in prison, respectively.

Human rights groups declared Dzemčanka, Serhijenia, Hajrulin, and Rakievič political prisoners.

Minsk resident Alena Mehcijeva was sentenced to three and a half years of restricted freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility for gross violations of public order. This type of sentence implies that people are confined to their residence and are required to retain or seek employment. Police can visit them anytime to make sure they comply with the terms of confinement.

Alaksandr Adziarycha from Salihorsk, Minsk region, was sentenced to a fine and three years in prison for online comments allegedly insulting Łukašenka and other high-ranking public officials.

Human rights defender Anastasija Łojka and Daniił Krašeŭski, arrested on September 6 near the Minsk City Court after the trial of their associates, were jailed for 15 and 12 days, respectively. Krašeŭski was accused of reposting tweets deemed “extremist,” while details of the case against Łojka remain unknown, Viasna said.

Uładzimir Butkaviec, who administered a Belarusian language group on Vkontakte social network, was jailed for seven days for allegedly distributing information with calls to extremism. Human rights defenders learned that he had been fired from the Homiel Forest Management Company for political reasons about two months ago.

Rock musician Viktar Žarkievič was sentenced to 13 days in jail, an anarchist Telegram channel reported.

Arrests

The EU Chargé d’Affaires Evelina Schulz was detained for two hours after attending a trial of human rights advocates in Minsk on September 6. The European External Action Service summoned Belarusian chargé d’affaires in Brussels to explain the incident.

Student Alaksiej Žyburtovič was arrested in Minsk for participating in protests and online comments; shoe store managers Siarhiej Kaliada and Uładzimir Stasievič, for donating money to the victims of 2020 post-election protests, pro-government Telegram channels reported.

Same channels said that Vital Andrejčyk from Navahrudak, Hrodna region, was arrested in connection with 2020 protests and online comments, while Maksim Halavinski from Minsk was arrested for Nazi tattoos.

Detention conditions

Viktoryja Kulša, sentenced to three and a half years in prison on politically-motivated charges, was transferred to a penal colony in the Homiel region, Viasna said.

Other instances of persecution

On September 6, lawyers Hienadź Ułasenka, Pavieł Kułažanka, Hanna Paŭluk, and Taćciana Saŭčanka were disbarred as unfit “to perform their professional duties due to insufficient qualification,” according to the justice ministry. 

The website and social media pages of the Belarusian Council for Culture were blacklisted as extremist content on August 31.

As of September 8, human rights defenders identified at least 1,321 political prisoners.