Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

April 26, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 24 and 25.

Arrested and released

Police arrested Alaksandr Jackievič, a former FC Krumkačy soccer player, Naša Niva reported. He reportedly responded to a fake message circulated by police on behalf of the BYPOL resistance group.

Authorities released Jaŭhien Rezničenka after he had served a prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

Trials

Authorities jailed Połack museum worker Ihar Bortnik for a third consecutive time, BPN reported. Judge Taćciana Chrypač sentenced him to 15 days in jail for following Belsat and Symbal.by on YouTube. Bortnik had already served 23 days in jail for sharing opposition content and allegedly violating regulations governing mass events.

New criminal cases

Andrej Neściarovič, owner of the Cudoŭnia ethnic shop, is under arrest for three days and faces criminal charges after having served 10 days in jail for an alleged minor offence, hrodna.life reported.

Criminal proceedings

The Hrodna Regional Court sentenced Polish national Jerzy Żywalewski to four years in prison on spying charges on March 22, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. He is married to a Belarusian.

Artist Hienadź Drazdoŭ, 64, will go on trial in Minsk on May 2. Authorities accuse him of promoting extremism and a public disorder offense.

Extremist list updates

The interior ministry blacklisted Alaksandra Hierasimenia and Alaksandr Apiejkin, founders of the Belarusian Sports Solidarity Foundation (BSSF), as persons “involved in extremist activities,” BPN reported. Both had been sentenced to lengthy prison terms at a trial held without them being present.

Other additions to the extremist list include jailed trade unionists Alaksandr Jarašuk, Siarhiej Antusievič and Iryna But-Husaim as well as 18 more people. In all, the interior ministry has blacklisted 2,735 activists.

Other instances of persecution

Journalist Andrej Rasafonaŭ was fired from Drahičynski Vesnik, a state-run newspaper in Drahičyn, Brest region, after the Committee for State Security (KGB) found subscriptions to opposition content on his smartphone, the Brest branch of Viasna reported. The journalist was tried for a minor offense and has been struggling to find a job because the KGB allegedly put pressure on potential employers.

As of April 26, human rights defenders identified at least 1,497 political prisoners.