Update on trials, arrests, politically-motivated persecution

September 10, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on September 9.

Arrests

Former security officer Aleh Hajduk was arrested for sharing personal data of law enforcement officers, online comments critical of authorities and an alleged intention to fight Russia in Ukraine, pro-government Telegram channels said.

Dźmitryj Stasievič, 32, was arrested in Minsk for online comments.

Trials

On August 31, Juryj Čubanaŭ from Hrodna was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of illegal actions against personal data, insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka and public officials, and abusing state symbols.

A court in Minsk found Viera Vałnistaja guilty on politically-motivated charges of grossly violating public order. She was given three years of restricted freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility in addition to her previous sentence of two years, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. This type of sentence implies that people are confined to their residence during non-working hours and are required to retain or seek employment. Police can visit them anytime to make sure they comply with the terms of confinement.

Alaksandr Mialeška, a prominent children’s oncologist, was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility for participating in the 2020 post-election protests.

Alaksiej Sianko was sentenced in Hrodna to two years in prison for online comments on the 2021 shootout involving an IT engineer and KGB officers, known as the “Zielcer case.” Human rights groups declared him a political prisoner.

Hanna Tukava, arrested during her one-woman anti-war protest at a school in Navapołack on September 1, was fined on charges of disseminating calls to extremism. Human rights defenders say that she is still in custody.

Other instances of persecution

The interior ministry blacklisted five more people as “extremists,” including RFE/RL journalist Andrej Kuzniečyk, as well as Jaŭhien Lulkovič, Alaksandr Kurhanski, Alaksiej Majeŭski, Dzianis Hrachanaŭ, all of whom faced politically-motivated charges, Viasna said.

As of September 10, human rights defenders identified at least 1,330 political prisoners.