June 1, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 31 as authorities keep trying to stifle all forms of dissent.
Arrested and released
Police arrested a man returning to Belarus from Poland, the Viasna Human Rights Center said. He was reportedly dragged out of the bus at the border in Brest and placed in a police car in handcuffs.
Juryj Slizievič, a Soviet-Afghanistan war veteran and business owner, was arrested in Hrodna, the Pravo Imeyut Telegram channel reported. Authorities have not disclosed the reasons for his arrest.
Police also arrested a college student in Babrujsk, Mahiloŭ region, and charged him with facilitating activities of an extremist group, a pro-government source said. In a police video, he admitted to following Ukrainian media and writing negative comments about the Russian army in the Telegram channel run by Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment of Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine.
Ihar Buzuk is free after serving two years in prison for hanging a white-red-white flag at a war memorial in Hrodna, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region reported.
Alaksandr Boćka, a school principal in Vaŭkavysk, Hrodna region, was released after his arrest on May 29. He might have been charged with breaking regulations governing mass events, said the Sudy, Zaderzhania. Grodno i Oblast channel in the Telegram messenger application.
Criminal proceedings
Prosecutors received the case against Pavieł Mažejka, a journalist and cultural manager in Hrodna accused of promoting extremism, Hrodna.life reported. Mažejka led a non-governmental organization called Center of Urban Life, which was shut down last year.
On May 24, the Minsk City Court sentenced accountant Hanna Karniajenka to five years in prison at a closed trial, Viasna said. Investigators said she shared information with an online project exposing the identities of security officers who mistreated and brutalized peaceful protesters in 2020.
The Žłobin District Court in the Homiel region tried serviceman Alaksandr Strokaŭ for participation in 2020 protests even though he had not yet been drafted for active duty at the time, Viasna reported. Judge Śviatłana Rubachava sentenced him to two months of military arrest.
Jailed Iryna Savašynskaja went on trial in Hrodna on charges of participating in protests, Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Hrodna i Oblast reported. Another defendant in the case is Alaksiej Paŭlenka whose whereabouts are unknown.
Juryj Carevič went on trial in Lida, Hrodna region, on charges of slandering Alaksandr Łukašenka, Pravo Imeyut reported.
Other instances of persecution
Prominent opposition politician Mikałaj Statkievič has been behind bars for three years, Viasna said. Authorities sentenced him to 14 years in prison where he is said to be mistreated. He has been recently placed in solitary confinement for six months.
A police officer from Mahiloŭ contacted former political prisoner Valancin Łabačoŭ via WhatsApp. In April, Łabačoŭ left for Poland after serving 18 months in prison for allegedly insulting Łukašenka. He links police interest to his public appearances and interviews.
Jailed Dźmitryj Sončyk suffered a heart attack and a stroke at the Mahiloŭ prison. He spent about a month at the city hospital, guarded and handcuffed to the bed, and then was sent back to prison where other inmates took care of him, Łabačoŭ among them.
Authorities did not allow jailed opposition activist Anastasija Kuchta to attend her mother’s funeral, the Anarchist Black Cross said. She is currently serving a five-year prison term after being convicted on three criminal charges.
On June 1, human rights defenders identified at least 1,491 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.
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