{"id":1230,"date":"2023-08-29T11:31:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-29T08:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=1230"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-3","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/1230\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 29, BPN<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 28 with more criminal cases reported over alleged online abuse targeting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrested and released<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested Viktar Biarozkin from Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, a pro-government source said. The arrest is linked to an online chat with Juryj Komar, a truck driver widely believed to be a police informer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state-run ONT<\/em> TV channel is to broadcast on August 29 a propaganda film that features Andrej Pararotnika\u016d, an arrested military analyst and head of Belarus Security Blog. Reports about his arrest surfaced in March. Human rights defenders say he may be charged with high treason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested Raman Jerafiejenka for participation in 2020 protests, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities released Siarhiej Miraje\u016dski and Alaksandar Ka\u015bcienka convicted in connection with protests, Viasna said. Miraje\u016dski had served two and a half years of restricted freedom at an open-type correctional facility; Ka\u015bcienka, 18 months in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Dentist Alaksandar Hrudnicki, arrested after his return to Belarus from Lithuania, was jailed for 30 days on charges of picketing and sharing opposition content, the Vitebsk, ja gulayu!<\/em> Telegram channel said. The outcome of his wife Ala’s trial on August 22 is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Mika\u0142aj Ma\u0161arski went on trial in Po\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, for allegedly violating the order of holding mass events and insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Brest sentenced Alaksiej Afana\u015bje\u016d, 67, to three years in prison and a fine of 1,110 rubels (about $350) on charges of insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka and public officials, the Brest branch of Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businessman Viktar \u0141amieka went on trial in Zelva, Hrodna region, for allegedly insulting and slandering \u0141uka\u0161enka, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The youngest Belarusian political prisoner Arciom Vajciachovi\u010d, 15, will go on trial in Minsk on September 7 on charges of extortion, Viasna reported. His brother is exiled activist Siarhiej Vajciachovi\u010d, who allegedly administered a railway worker community’s Telegram channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremist content update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities blacklisted the Volny Belarus<\/em> Telegram channel and the Ko\u0161t Urada<\/em> think tank’s website as extremist content, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 23, a court in Minsk also branded extremist the New Life Church’s Instagram posts and a YouTube video, the church said on Telegram. The content has not yet been added to the information ministry’s online register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 29, human rights defenders identified at least 1,482 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

August 29, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 28 with more criminal cases reported over alleged online abuse targeting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka. Arrested and released Police arrested Viktar Biarozkin from Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, a pro-government source said. The arrest is linked to an online chat with Juryj Komar, a truck driver widely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[14],"class_list":["post-1230","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpdate on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"August 29, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 28 with more criminal cases reported over\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/1230\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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