{"id":121525,"date":"2025-01-13T14:22:28","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T11:22:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/121525\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"law-enforcers-threaten-exiled-regime-critics-in-run-up-to-presidential-vote","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/121525\/","title":{"rendered":"Law enforcers threaten exiled regime critics in run-up to presidential vote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n (Pozirk)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

January 13, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>The Belarusian Investigative Committee has threatened exiled opposition activists with criminal charges for participation in rallies abroad ahead of the seventh presidential election in Belarus on January 21-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Investigators claimed that a Belarusian festival scheduled for January 26, the main voting day, in Warsaw was designed to promote \u201ca negative image of the election campaign in Belarus, escalate social and political tensions and exert external influence on legal institutions.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The committee said that Belarusian law enforcement officers will keep recording exiled activists\u2019 activities for their eventual criminal persecution in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last May, authorities filed extremism-related criminal charges against 104 people over their role in Freedom Day celebrations abroad. The events marked an anniversary of Belarus\u2019 short-lived independence in 1918. The suspects had their Belarusian real estate and property inspected, searched or seized by authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current presidential campaign in Belarus is taking place in a purged political landscape amid a new wave of crackdown on regime critics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The five presidential bidders are Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, his supporters Aleh Hajdukievi\u010d, Alaksandar Chi\u017eniak, Siarhiej Syranko\u016d as well as former MP Hanna Kanapackaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Belarusian opposition dismissed the election as a sham, noting that political reprisals prevent pro-democracy candidates from running and voters from freely expressing their will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The country has not held a single free and fair election since 1996 by the standards of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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