{"id":114854,"date":"2024-11-21T15:03:28","date_gmt":"2024-11-21T12:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/114854\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"viasna-new-political-prisoners-outnumber-those-pardoned","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/114854\/","title":{"rendered":"Viasna: new political prisoners outnumber those pardoned"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 21, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Documented new political prisoners outnumber political prisoners pardoned since early July, the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 178 political prisoners have been released in six batches over four and a half months with the most recent group pardoned yesterday, yet 223 people were designated as political prisoners in the same period, rights defenders noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dissidentby rights group reported earlier that the Committee for State Security (KGB) stepped up efforts to recruit informers among the pardoned people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security services reportedly ban them from leaving Belarus and insist that they sign certain documents and agree to be filmed for propaganda videos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KGB threatens new charges and intimidates their families to make them spy on the opposition, according to the rights defenders. Pardoned people are forced to seek assistance from the exiled initiatives and report any information that will help the KGB destroy solidarity networks or damage opposition structures, it noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since July 1, the number of documented political prisoners has fallen from 1,410 to 1,273, but the real number of those subjected to politically-motivated persecution is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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