Police blacklist 26 over alleged extremist activities

February 17, BPN. The Belarusian interior ministry has blacklisted 26 more people as extremists, taking their total to 2,442.

The new additions include people convicted in politically-motivated cases, namely Kryścina Čarankova (two and a half years in prison), Mikałaj Bredzieleŭ, ex-spokesman for the Austria-owned A1 telecommunications company (four years), and Alaksandr Ajnutdzinaŭ (25 months in prison for intentions to join Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine).

Authorities also blacklisted journalist Alaksandr Lubiančuk. In late January, the Supreme Court upheld his three-year prison sentence on charges of forming an extremist group.

The Belarusian authorities have been extensively using anti-extremism and anti-terror laws to crack down on dissent, said Human Constanta, a Belarusian rights group.