Owner of blacklisted souvenir store leaves Belarus
January 2, BPN. Juryj Kazakievič, owner of the Belarusian souvenir store Roskvit in Baranavičy, Brest region, has left Belarus and is now safe, he told BPN.
“I always treated the store not as a commercial project, but as a social and political one,” he said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to keep going on for so long. It turned out that the authorities treated it the same way. During the last two years, I had a strong feeling that the pressure [on me] was linked to the store operation in addition to my participation in protests.”
Authorities closed Roskvit after Kazakievič’s arrest for allegedly distributing extremist content and forced him to purge his social media, threatening with criminal persecution, he said. Eventually, charges of illegal entrepreneurial activities convinced him to leave Belarus as soon as possible, Kazakievič added.
“It became clear that I would soon find myself either abroad or behind bars,” Kazakievič said. “I never wanted to leave, I don’t even have a visa, but I had to.”
A few months ago, police searched Kazakevič’s home and store. In late November, a court in the Brest region blacklisted the Roskvit’s website and Instagram page with 490 followers as extremist content.
Authorities used various excuses to close down a number of independent stores selling Belarusian merchandise. Pavieł Biełavus, founder and owner of the Symbal.by store, is in custody since November 2021 and faces charges of high treason, creating an extremist group and participating in protests.
- Politics, SocietyMemorial for Belarusian poet Łarysa Hienijuš canceled amid pro-Russian backlashThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SecurityPoland reports “extremely aggressive” behavior by migrants at Belarus’ borderThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyAnother MAZ bus catches fire in RussiaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- EconomyProlonged cold spells harm Belarus’ agricultureThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsRights activists report spike in prosecutions over 2020 protestsThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- PoliticsBelarus worst-performing in eradicating torture for sixth consecutive yearThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus’ top diplomat rails against “digital colonialism” at BRICS summitThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- Politics
- PoliticsReprisals: agents attempt to infiltrate Cichanoŭski’s teamThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka wishes Nazarbayev a happy birthdayThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyBelarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church plans to open mission in UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCouncil of Europe affirms support for Belarusians at home and abroadThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarusians proud of common heritage with Lithuania, grateful for support – CichanoŭskajaThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarusian foreign minister to attend BRICS summit in BrazilThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCoordination Council supports setting up tribunal on aggression against UkraineThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsViasna releases update on reprisals in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsJailed lawyer asks Lithuanian president to swap him for Belarus’ prisonersThe material is available only to POZIRK+