{"id":115605,"date":"2024-11-27T11:55:46","date_gmt":"2024-11-27T08:55:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/115605\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-another-high-treason-trial-opens-in-brest","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/115605\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: another high treason trial opens in Brest"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 27, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus on November 26 included the high-treason trial of Ukraine-born Mika\u0142aj K\u0142ok, who used to work as assistant manager at a candy factory in Brest, the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online content<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also continued persecuting people for their online activities as a judge in Hrodna tried Aleh \u017duh\u017eda, head of a local puppet theater, for sharing opposition content, hrodna.life<\/em> reported. The sentence remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least two educators were fired in Hrodna after serving jail terms on similar charges, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry reported extremist content designations for the X pages of the Coordination Council and Asta Andrijauskien\u0117, Lithuania\u2019s ambassador at large for Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other blacklisted accounts include TOK|TALK<\/em> and BELPOL SHORTS & NEWSVIDEOS<\/em> on YouTube, singer \u015aviat\u0142ana Be\u0144’s Instagram page, Kamenniy Log-Medininkai<\/em> chat on Telegram monitoring queues at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border, activist Kiry\u0142 Ataman\u010dyk’s VKontankte page and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A judge in Minsk sentenced prominent businessman Aleh Ka\u016dryhin to 12 years in prison two days ago without the defender being present, Pozirk <\/em>reported. The founder of the Novy Zrok, the Belarusian subsidiary of the New Vision state-of-the-art eye-surgery clinic, was found guilty of nine crimes, including facilitating extremism for alleged association with opposition groups, inciting hatred and tax evasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other clinic employees, based in Belarus, were found guilty of economic crimes and given suspended prison sentences of over three years: chief accountant Maryna Bajar\u010duk, chief nurse Ta\u0107ciana Jarmol\u010dyk, financial director Alena Vara\u0161kievi\u010d and manager Alaksandar Sa\u0142a\u016djo\u016d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iosif Duleba, 56, went on trial in Viciebsk. Authorities claim he was linked to the Bilorus 2.0 Robimo Razam <\/em>media project, which was branded extremist content a few months ago, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksiej Silenka, arrested upon his return from Georgia, is on trial in Minsk, Viasna said. Charges against him include calling for sanctions and inciting hatred in connection with politically-sensitive social media posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ihar Iljiukievi\u010d, a physical education teacher in Baranavi\u010dy, Brest region, faces similar charges in addition to accusations of insulting officials and Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, Viasna’s Brest branch reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksiej \u0160pako\u016dski in Pinsk, Brest region, and former emergency worker Anton Bu\u0142ach in Minsk are being tried for participation in 2020 postelection protests, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Mahilo\u016d judge rejected an appeal by anarchist activist Siarhiej Ramana\u016d against the additional two years in prison given for allegedly disobeying prison authorities, the Pravo na Vosstaniye<\/em> Telegram channel said. Ramana\u016d’s cumulative prison term exceeds 22 years. Rights groups consider his persecution to be politically-motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish minority activist and journalist Andrej Pa\u010dobut is held at the internal prison in the Viciebsk region\u2019s penal colony, Pravo Imeyut <\/em>reported. He is serving an eight-year prison term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 773 Belarusian nationals have been added to the Russian wanted list over the past six months, Mediazona<\/em> said. These include former and current volunteer soldiers fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, politicians, activists, former political prisoners, journalists and family members of reprisal victims.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A woman may face criminal charges in Mahilo\u016d for posting on TikTok a video of a queue at a state clinic, Zerkalo<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of November 27, human rights defenders identified at least 1,271 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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