Judges issue 51 criminal convictions in May – Viasna

June 6, BPN. Belarusian judges imposed criminal sentences on at least 51 people in May, the Viasna Human Rights Center said in a new report. 

Authorities might have persecuted more than 140 people last month, the center said. Most political cases stemmed from the 2020 post-election protests.

Only one political prisoner, Dźmitryj Miadźviecki, won an appeal and had his jail term reduced from three to two-and-a-half years. Meanwhile, Alaksandr Łukašenka pardoned Raman Pratasievič, an opposition journalist who accepted a cooperation deal with investigators.

Viasna has identified more than 1,500 political prisoners so far. “Their number increases week by week,” it said.