Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

February 28, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on February 27.

Arrests

Police arrested Kryścina Maksimienka in Mačuliščy, Minsk region, Siarhiej Jaŭtuchovič in Dziaržynsk, Minsk region, as well as several people in Fanipal, Dziaržynsk district, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. They all are awaiting trial and may be facing charges of disobeying police orders. Human rights groups link the arrests to an alleged attack on a Russian military aircraft at the Mačuliščy military airfield near Minsk the previous day.

Police also arrested Viktar Bačkoŭski, 32, an employee of a Minsk IT company, for comments in the Telegram messaging app, Naša Niva reported.

Criminal proceedings

Authorities sentenced blogger Siarhiej Cichanoŭski to additional 18 months in prison on new charges of malicious disobedience to the prison authorities, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported. The husband of Belarusian opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja is currently serving an 18-year prison term.

The Minsk Regional Court sentenced Alaksandr Jemialjanaŭ from Minsk to three years in prison for online comments, Viasna said.

A court in the Mahiloŭ region sentenced Pavieł Amialjanaŭ to three years in prison on charges of insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka and stealing bikes.

Prosecutors requested lengthy prison sentences for the defendants in the “Coordination Council case,” including 19 years in prison both for Belarusian opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja and her associate Pavieł Łatuška, BPN reported. All defendants are being tried in absentia and are accused of a total of 12 criminal offences, such as high treason, conspiracy to seize power and organizing an extremist group.

A court in Minsk resumed hearings in a case against Hienadź Mažejka, a former journalist with Komsomolskaya Pravda v Belarusi, charged with inciting hatred and insulting Łukašenka. The journalist has been in custody since October 2021 over an article he wrote on the 2021 shootout that left two people dead, IT engineer Andrej Zielcer and a KGB officer.

Other instances of persecution 

On February 20, Alaksandr Kapšul, a member of the Rabočy Ruch (Workers’ Movement), stopped the hunger strike that he had held for 51 days to protest violations of his rights in prison, Naša Niva reported. On February 17, a court in Homiel sentenced Kapšul to 15 years in prison and nine other defendants in the same case to 11 to 15 years on charges ranging from slander to high treason.

A large online auction removed from sale several books that Belarusian authorities deem extremist, including popular history books by Viktor Suvorov and Vadzim Dzeružynski, the Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

A young woman from Hrodna faces criminal charges over donations to opposition initiatives in 2020 and protest pictures in social media, Haradzienskaja Pravaabarona said. Police also confiscated her electronic devices.

Extremist content updates

Authorities blacklisted a number of opposition social media pages as extremist content, including satirical and historical Telegram channels, Viasna said.

New political prisoners

Belarusian human rights groups declared nine people political prisoners. Their charges range from extremism to libel against Łukašenka.

As of February 28, human rights defenders identified at least 1,451 political prisoners.