Activist: One-third of Belarusian judges involved in political cases

May 20, BPN. Nearly one-third of Belarusian judges have taken part in politically motivated criminal and administrative cases, a human rights activist said yesterday.

Natalla Sacunkievič of the Viasna Human Rights Center spoke at an online conference organized by Amnesty International. She said more than 400 judges were involved in such cases, which amounts to almost a third of all judges in general courts.

She said the Belarusian authorities have “evenly spread responsibility for political repression among them.”

Sacunkievič also said six lawyers are among the political prisoners in Belarus and more than 60 lawyers have lost their licenses for political reasons in recent years.

The Viasna center reported 1,525 political prisoners in Belarus as of last night, a gloomy record.