{"id":122269,"date":"2025-01-18T09:47:30","date_gmt":"2025-01-18T06:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/122269\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"reprisals-regime-opponent-appears-in-propaganda-show","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/122269\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: regime opponent appears in propaganda show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January 18, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> The state-run ONT<\/em> television channel yesterday aired an interview with political prisoner Jura\u015b Ziankovi\u010d, branding him as a US lawyer, political scientist and expert. Ziankovi\u010d was filmed in a posh interior wearing business attire. It is unknown whether he is still serving his prison sentence of 13.5 years. Earlier, ONT<\/em> aired interviews with journalists associated with the US-funded RFE\/RL \u2013 political prisoners Andrej Ku\u017anie\u010dyk, Ihar \u0141osik and Ihar Karniej.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Viasna Human Rights Center<\/em> reported the opening of blogger Viktoryja Husarava’s trial at the Homiel Regional Court. She is accused of inciting hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities added<\/a> Pava\u0142 Ku\u0142a\u017eanka and Vital Paciechin to the list of people “involved in extremist activities,” the interior ministry<\/em> reported. Last year, a Minsk court sentenced them to long prison terms on six charges, including a drone attack on a police base in September 2021. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ku\u0142a\u017eanka, a policeman-turned-Ukrainian fighter, and Paciechin, a former military officer, were tried in absentia. In addition, the authorities blacklisted 12 people sentenced on charges typically used for political reprisals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the information ministry added the Facebook page Alaksiej Franckievi\u010d, the Odnoklassniki page Viktar Karalko\u016d and a couple of other social media accounts to its list of extremist content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hrodna.life<\/em> reported that former political prisoner Andrej A\u016dsijevi\u010d has left Belarus. In December 2021, the Hrodna Regional Court sentenced him to 3.5 years in prison for insulting government officials. A\u016dsijevi\u010d was released in June 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the run-up to next week’s election, law enforcers are holding “preventive talks” with people who were subjected to political persecution. The campaign covers “a huge number of people,” Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. The talks happen at HR departments, deans’ offices and police stations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of January 18, human rights defenders identified at least 1,244 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reprisals: 6,550 people prosecuted for political reasons since 2020<\/h3>\n
January 16, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on January 15 as the state-run ONT TV channel aired a trailer featuring jailed REF\/RL reporter Ihar \u0141osik, who was held incommunicado for almost 700 days. Mikita Jemialjana\u016d …<\/div>\n \n