Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

February 2, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on February 1.

Several arrested, one released

Police arrested Andrej Mamońka and his wife Viera on charges of participating in protests, Chryścijanskaja Vizija reported. Mamońka is an IT specialist and one of the leaders of a protestant church community.

Police also arrested four employees of Homieltransnafta Druzhba presumably over accessing opposition websites from their work computers, Flagshtok reported.

Authorities released Maksim Siluk after he had served his sentence of two and a half years in prison his role in 2020 protests in Brest, the Brest branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center said.

Criminal proceedings

A court in Babrujsk sentenced Anatol Ciepcikoŭ to two years in prison on charges of insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka, Viasna reported.

A court in the Hrodna region sentenced Alaksiej Jaraševič to two years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility for an online comment about Łukašenka, Viasna said.

A court in the Brest region heard a new case against Aleh Ničyporka, currently serving a three-year prison term. It found him guilty of damaging property and theft and added six more months to his sentence. Human rights groups consider Ničyporka a political prisoner, Viasna reported.

A new trial of jailed activist Uładzimir Hundar began in Hrodna. Authorities charged him with insulting a prosecutor. Hundar is currently serving an 18-year prison term on charges widely seen as politically-motivated, according to Viasna.

Jailed former presidential hopeful Siarhiej Cichanoŭski, currently serving an 18-year prison term, will go on a new trial on February 14 on charges of malicious disobedience to the prison authorities, Viasna said.

Other instances of persecution

Anatol Łatuška, a cousin of prominent regime critic Pavieł Łatuška, was transferred to Penal Colony No 1 in Navapołack, Viciebsk region. In September 2022, authorities sentenced him to six years in prison after finding him guilty of taking part in protests, hooliganism and abuse of state symbols.

The Mahiloŭ Regional Court will hear an appeal by Ivan Ziańko, a man imprisoned on politically motivated charges, on February 9. In November 2022, a judge added a year to his five-year prison sentence for allegedly disobeying prison authorities.

Pro-government Telegram channels have published a video of a forced confession obtained from Alaksandr Piačko from Lida, Hrodna region, under duress. In the video, the man promises to remove his Pahonia coat of arms tattoo.

Extremist list updates

Authorities blacklisted a local Telegram channel and chat from Radaškovičy, Minsk region, as well as Kropka’s Facebook page as extremist content, Viasna said.

Terrorist list updates

The Committee for State Security (KGB) added seven more people to its list of individuals and entities involved in terrorist activities, including those whom human rights groups consider political prisoners, BPN reported.

As of February 2, human rights defenders identified at least 1,435 political prisoners.