Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

July 27, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on July 26 with more arrests linked to protests and opposition content.

Arrested and released

Police arrested Jaŭhien Mańkoŭ, after he returned to Belarus from abroad, for allegedly running an opposition Telegram channel, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

Homiel police arrested a senior couple, their daughter and a son-in-law for sharing opposition content, according to Viasna.

Urologist Aleh Zykun was arrested on similar charges on July 25 in Brest, the Belye Chalaty (White Coats) initiative reported.

Authorities released Anton Łakišyk after he had served a prison term for allegedly threatening violence against a police officer, Viasna said.

Trials

Dźmitryj Bułanaŭ, a professional chess player, was arrested for three days on suspicion that he had participated in 2020 protests, shared opposition content and signed up for the opposition Pieramoha Plan, Mediazona reported.

Criminal proceedings

On August 4, the Minsk City Court will hear an appeal by Jaŭhien Liviant, a co-founder of the 100 Ballov education center, his daughter Hanna and son-in-law Mikita Drozd, against a three-year “restricted freedom” sentence to be served in home confinement, BPN reported. The appeal also involves four other defendants who were given shorter terms.

A judge in Hrodna sentenced journalist Pavieł Mažejka and lawyer Julija Jurhilevič to six years in prison on extremism charges, Belsat TV reported.

Aleh Jafremienka, currently serving a lengthy prison term, was given an additional year in prison for allegedly disobeying the penal colony’s administration, Viasna said. Earlier, he had been given a similar punishment and was placed in the penal colony’s internal prison.

Other instances of persecution

The Supreme Court will hear a lawsuit to shut down the Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord on August 9, and the opposition Belarusian Popular Front, on August 14, BPN reported. 

The number of victims of reprisals and terror in Belarus has exceeded 136,000, so there are sufficient grounds to believe that the authorities have committed crimes against humanity, according to the Vilnius-based nonprofit Justice Hub.

As of July 27, human rights defenders identified at least 1,481 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.