{"id":101727,"date":"2024-08-23T10:00:47","date_gmt":"2024-08-23T07:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/101727\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-political-prisoners-list-keeps-growing-2","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/101727\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: political prisoners\u2019 list keeps growing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 23, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 22 with 15 new additions to the political prisoners’ list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve of them have already been convicted on charges ranging from disturbing public order and inciting hatred to extremism and high treason, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-government sources reported an arrest of a young woman from Brest for participation in 2020 postelection protests. In the police video, she admitted to\u00a0attending a protest rally four years ago together with her husband, who may also face persecution. The woman’s current whereabouts and charges against her remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michai\u0142 \u0141apuno\u016d went on trial in Homiel on extremism-related charges, Viasna reported. Judge Alesia Vosipava presides over the proceedings. \u0141apuno\u016d has been held in custody since last summer after serving several jail terms for sharing opposition content. His son Mikita Za\u0142ataro\u016d is jailed in a politically-motivated case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 23, human rights defenders identified at least 1,373 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities have arrested about 65,000 people for political reasons in the four years since the August 2020 presidential election, Viasna reported in early August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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