Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

May 24, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 23 with numerous arrests of university staff reported in Połack, Viciebsk region.

Arrests

Police arrested several employees of Połack State University, Viciebsk region, BPN reported. Foreign languages instructor Alena Chramcova is accused of following an opposition Telegram channel. History professor Viktar Čaraŭko and law professor Siarhiej Hłazyryn have been sentenced to 15 days in jail for sharing opposition content, while repository worker Lidzija Zujeva was released before her trial scheduled for May 24.

Police arrested two students aged 18 and 19 in Vysokaje, Brest region, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Investigators accused them of tearing down three state flags.

IT specialist Jaŭhien Cichanaŭ was arrested upon his return to Belarus from Poland and faces three criminal charges, Naša Niva reported. In a police video, he admitted to participating in 2020 protests and discussing law and order in one of the Telegram chats.

Belarusians Dźmitryj Hałaŭloŭ and his wife Julija were arrested in Moscow for launching balloons with the Ukrainian flag, the SHOT_on_air Telegram channel reported. Police drew up a report accusing Hałaŭloŭ of disorderly conduct.

Minsk police arrested brothers Dzianis and Dźmitryj Piatuchoŭ after a search at their home, Viasna said. No further details are available.

Criminal proceedings

Authorities sentenced Dzianis Davydaŭ to three years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility; Rusłan Miacielski, to two and a half years of restricted freedom in home confinement. Both were accused of participating in 2020 protests, Viasna reported.

The Supreme Court upheld a three-year prison sentence against Dźmitryj Siemčanka, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported. The former journalist with the state-run ONT TV channel was convicted of inciting hatred, a charge routinely used by police to lock up dissidents.

The same court will hear an appeal by the Polish minority activist Andrzej Poczobut (Andrej Pačobut) on May 26 in a closed session, the electronic court schedule says. In early February, he was given eight years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions.

Anastasija Pietračenka will go on trial in Homiel on June 2 for an alleged donation to Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine, Viasna said. Authorities accuse her of financing extremism.

Trials

A district court in Minsk jailed a local man for 12 days for publicly disagreeing with Belarusian authorities’ support of Russia’s war in Ukraine, pravo.by reported.

Dźmitryj Paŭtarak, currently serving a three-year restricted freedom sentence in an open-type correctional facility, is under arrest for 20 days on charges of calling for extremism, pro-government Telegram channels said.

The Čašniki District Court in the Viciebsk region fined a local resident 2,590 rubels (over $880) for sharing opposition content on social media and posting pictures of Christmas decorations in white and red colors, pravo.by reported.

Detention conditions

Authorities transferred arrested doctors of the Navapołack City Hospital to a detention center in Viciebsk, BPN reported. Authorities persecute them following a leak about the hospitalization of former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka.

Former bank workers Ina Hlinskaja and her daughter Valeryja Hlinskaja were transferred to women’s prison in Homiel, Viasna said. Both were given lengthy prison terms for sharing security officials’ personal data with an opposition Telegram channel, Viasna reported.

Halina Dzerbyš, 61, and Volha Majorava, 56, sentenced to 20 years in prison in a high-profile terrorism case, were placed in the same prison, according to Viasna.

Extremist list updates

In mid-May, the Committee for State Security (KGB) blacklisted the opposition’s Personnel Reserve for New Belarus campaign as an extremist group, BPN reported. Another addition to the extremist groups list was the Poland-based Ręka Wielkiej Pomocy foundation that assists children with intellectual disabilities. 

Authorities also blacklisted several opposition social media pages and Telegram channels as extremist content, including an Odnoklassniki group of Viktar Babaryka supporters with 5,124 subscribers and Taćciana Martynava’s YouTube channel with 50,100 followers.

Other instances of persecution

Jailed opposition leader Maryja Kaleśnikava was placed in a punishment cell after an alleged provocation from a cellmate, MAYDAY.TEAM reported.

Jailed disabled activist Uładzimir Hundar, 62, sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison for his role in an alleged plot to overthrow the government, is recovering after suffering a hearing loss while in a punishment cell, BPN reported.

As of May 24, human rights defenders identified at least 1,520 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.