Belarusian dissenters given 2,996 years in prison in 2023 – rights group

January 15, Pozirk. Politically-motivated sentences in Belarus totaled 2,996 years in 2023, the Viasna Human Rights Center said in its recent report.

Prison terms were passed against 458 people, sentenced to a total of 1,935 years; 389 were given 854 years of restricted freedom in home confinement and 51, 106 years of restricted freedom in open-type correctional facilities.

Eighteen people were sentenced to a total of four years under arrest, with one sentence suspended. Seven people were fined 99,900 rubels (about $31,680) and five were sent for compulsory treatment.

In 2023, at least 1,603 people were convicted on politically-motivated charges, 73 percent of them male, according to Viasna.

Judges in Minsk passed 57 percent of politically-motivated sentences, followed by their colleagues in the Brest and Homiel regions with 10 percent each.

Gross violations of public order (863 convicted), insulting Alaksandar Łukašenka (324) and public officials (187) featured among the most frequent charges.