{"id":113892,"date":"2024-11-15T11:33:23","date_gmt":"2024-11-15T08:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/113892\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-mass-raids-target-dissidents-families","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/113892\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: mass raids target dissidents\u2019 families"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 15, Pozirk.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on November 14 with more arrests reported in the Hrodna region as agents of the Committee for State Security (KGB) continued raids across Belarus. Authorities have stepped up crackdown on regime critics since late October timing it to the start of the presidential cycle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights defenders from the Dissidentby initiative also reported that yesterday\u2019s raids targeted family members of people jailed in politically-motivated cases for allegedly receiving donations from solidarity groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reprisals also focused on exiled activists as the Hrodna region’s prosecutors forwarded a criminal case against blogger Anton Matolka to court. Charges against him range from inciting hatred and calling for sanctions to plotting to seize power and facilitating extremism for alleged association with opposition groups. The blogger is based abroad and will be tried in absentia, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anatol Viar\u0161y\u0142a, 62, from \u0141yntupy, Viciebsk region, was tried on charges of breaking regulations governing mass events. The charge may be linked to his activities online, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aleh Ma\u0142ach, D\u017amitryj Bahdana\u016d and Iryna Tataryncava were tried in Viciebsk, the Vitebsk, Ya Gulayu<\/em> Telegram channel said. Authorities did not disclose the charges against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vital Janu\u0161kievi\u010d, Viktorja Oks, Alaksandar \u0160ajpak, Alaksandar Li\u0107vinski, Alaksandar Rudzie\u016dski, \u015aviat\u0142ana \u017dabrun, Lilija Panasik and Iryna Misiukievi\u010d were tried in the Hrodna region for sharing opposition content, the Pravo Imeyut <\/em>Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sentences in all trials remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Alaksandar Aranovi\u010d serving a six-year prison term in a high-profile politically-motivated case went on a new trial in Mahilo\u016d, Pozirk<\/em> reported. Authorities accuse him of disobeying prison administration, a charge often used in Belarus to keep the opponents behind bars longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Mahilo\u016d Regional Court opened proceedings against Pavie\u0142 \u010curkin. He faces a high treason charge for allegedly cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence services, Pozirk <\/em>reported. Earlier, he had served one year in prison for insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of November 15, human rights defenders identified at least 1,275 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities filed 7,400 politically-motivated criminal cases in the four years since the August 2020 presidential election, Viasna reported in mid-October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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