Police crack down on rights volunteers

March 28, Pozirk. Police have “stopped activities” of several persons in Brest, Baranavičy and Pinsk with alleged links to the outlawed Viasna Human Rights Center, said Alaksandar Łaŭrukovič of the interior ministry’s organized crime unit.

The government branded Viasna, a leading Belarusian human rights organization, an extremist group in 2023. The group has moved abroad but has a network of volunteers in Belarus to register human rights violations.

A 40-year-old Brest man was arrested for attending public court hearings in criminal cases linked to the persecution of government opposition, Łaŭrukovič said.

The man kept track of the proceedings, recorded the names of witnesses, judges and prosecutors and passed that information to opposition online media outlets for publication, the official charged.

The Investigative Committee filed criminal charges of facilitating extremism and placed the suspect in a pre-trial detention center, Łaŭrukovič said. He may face up to seven years in prison if convicted.

Łaŭrukovič added that investigators consider bringing charges against other suspected trial observers.

Aleś Bialacki, the Viasna founder and Nobel Peace Prize winner, is serving a 10-year prison term after being convicted in connection with his advocacy work.

Also read: Dozens of rights groups demand freedom for Bialacki, Stefanovič, Łabkovič