Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

May 30, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 29 as authorities focused on banning opposition content and punishing people who follow it.

Arrests

Police arrested Alaksandr Boćka, a school principal in Vaŭkavysk, Hrodna region, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region reported. His current whereabouts are unknown.

At least five people are under arrest in Homiel, including Vital Łabynioŭ, Juryj Šaŭluhin and paramedic Taćciana Kirak, a pro-government source said. In a police video, all arrested admitted to following opposition content.

Trials

Authorities jailed Protestant pastor Alaksandr Zarecki in Novałukoml, Viciebsk region, for 15 days, the Viciebsk branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Earlier, he had been jailed for the same term for sharing opposition content.

Alaksandr Sadoŭski, Vital Ton and Pavieł Dubroŭnik were tried in Lida, Hrodna region, on similar charges, the Sudy, Zaderzhaniya, Grodno i Oblast Telegram channel reported. Authorities have not disclosed the verdicts.

Criminal proceedings

Vital Prynieslik and his wife Lizaveta went on trial at the Centralny District Court in Minsk, Viasna reported. Authorities arrested the couple in late February and accused them of participating in protests. The man remained in custody while his wife was released pending trial.

Extremist list updates

The Ministry of Internal Affairs blacklisted the Insider Telegram channel and chat with about 10,500 subscribers as an extremist group. The channel posts and shares political Belarus-related news.

Authorities also branded Belarusy Gruzii/By in Georgia, a Telegram channel, as extremist content, Viasna said.

A number of Telegram channels, including Bielaruskaya Siadziba, as well as social media pages of the opposition’s defense chief Valer Sachaščyk are among other additions to the extremist content list, Mediazona reported. 

On May 25, a court in Baranavičy, Brest region, branded a Polish history book as extremist content, the information ministry’s website says. The book by Alicja Dybkowska, Małgorzata Żaryn and Jan Żaryn was published back in 1995 in Russian and Polish and covers the history of Poland from ancient times to the present day.

The same court also blacklisted Polskie piesni patriotyczne, a collection of patriotic Polish songs published in 2007.

As of May 30, human rights defenders identified at least 1,507 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.