Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

January 4, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on January 2 and 3.

Arrests

Police arrested Minsk resident Andrej (last name unknown) for participation in 2020 protests after he had returned to Belarus from abroad. Authorities identified him on the picture from Shutterstock stock photo service, pro-government sources said.

Police also arrested another Belarusian upon his return from Poland for online comments about policemen. Authorities accused him of sharing personal data with pro-opposition media outlets.

Trials

Jaŭhien Liviant, a renowned teacher and co-founder of the 100 Ballov education center, was jailed for 14 days on charges of petty hooliganism, BPN reported. Authorities also jailed his wife Julia for 15 days; his daughter Hanna and his associate Alaksiej Ivanoŭ, for 14 days each. Liviant’s son-in-law Mikita Drozd is also under arrest. They all are suspected of participating in 2020 protests.

Viciebsk-based art manager Uładzimir Bułaŭski, arrested in mid-December, was not released after spending 15 days in custody and might have been jailed again, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

Authorities accused Veranika Ivanova of distributing opposition content for sharing a link to the Belarusian Kastuś Kalinoŭski volunteer regiment fighting Russia in Ukraine, her Instagram page says. A court will hear the case against her on January 10.

Criminal proceedings

A court in Homiel added 20 months to the prison sentence of jailed regime opponent Andrej Padniabienny (Andrey Podnebenny) for allegedly facilitating extremist activity, insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka and a public official, and inciting hatred, Viasna said. Padniabienny had been sentenced to 15 years in prison in June on charges that human rights defenders condemned as politically motivated.

Authorities sentenced Dźmitryj Ančukoŭ to one year of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility for protest graffiti, and Mikita Bohuš, to two years of restricted freedom in home confinement for participation in 2020 protests, Viasna said.

Jaŭhien Hłuškoŭ from Ziabraŭka, Homiel region, went on trial in Homiel. Human rights defenders say that authorities persecute him for taking a picture of the Ziabraŭka military airfield.

A Minsk judge will try opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and four other opposition activists on January 17 without the defendants being present, BPN reported. They face a number of criminal charges, including conspiracy to seize power, in connection with the 2020 presidential election and post-election protests.

Terrorist list updates

The Belarusian Committee for State Security (KGB) added five people accused in politically-motivated cases to its terrorist list, taking a total of blacklisted Belarusians to 247, BPN reported.

Other instances of persecution

The Minsk City Court will hear appeals by convicted United Civic Party (UCP) head Mikałaj Kazłoŭ, UCP Minsk chapter head Aksana Alaksiejeva and former deputy chair Antanina Kavalova on January 31, Viasna said.

Authorities have not yet charged Kanstancin Załatych, director of the newspaper Belorusy i Rynok, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) said. He has been in custody for over seven months.

Jailed political analyst Alaksandr Fiaduta is in a prison hospital in Mahiloŭ with heart problems, Naša Niva reported. He is currently serving a 10-year prison term on charges of conspiracy to seize power.

As of January 4, human rights defenders identified at least 1,446 political prisoners.