KGB puts former presidential hopeful Capkała, eight others on terrorism list

May 12, BPN. The Committee for State Security (KGB) has designated a former presidential hopeful, political activists and so-called rail partisans as terrorists.

Valeryj Capkała, a former official who challenged Belarus’ long-time ruler in the 2020 presidential election, was sentenced to 17 years in prison in absentia in early April.

The KGB also blacklisted Dźmitryj Udalejeŭ, Dźmitryj Hudziejeŭ, Maksim Drabnica as well as political prisoners Radzivon Kačatkoŭ, Siarhiej Plaškun, Juryj Sielvič, Uładzimir Aŭramcaŭ and Dźmitryj Klimaŭ.

Authorities arrested Kačatkoŭ when he returned to Belarus from abroad in late 2022 and sentenced him to two and a half years in prison over comments posted in 2020.

The rail partisans, Plaškun and Sielvič from Mazyr, Homiel region, were given 16 and 14 years in prison, respectively. Authorities accused them of plotting to destroy Russian military equipment.

Aŭramcaŭ and Klimaŭ were given 22 years in prison each for destroying two relay cabinets on the railroad to slow down the movement of Russian military equipment. Authorities accused them of committing a terrorist act and high treason.

Sabotage on Belarusian railways began shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine from Belarusian territory in February 2022. Some of the “rail partisans” were brutally arrested and received long prison sentences.

All five political prisoners along with Cakpała were earlier labeled extremists. Currently, the KGB list comprises the names of 1,058 “terrorists.” Over 300 of them are Belarusian nationals.