{"id":124810,"date":"2025-02-04T11:40:19","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T08:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/124810\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-scammers-offer-lukasenkas-pardon-for-5000","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/124810\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: scammers offer \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s pardon for $5,000"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Belarus-based journalists under pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiled economist given lengthy prison term<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense company employee, English teacher on trial in Minsk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KGB blacklists crowdfunding project<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly 1,900 Belarusian NGOs disbanded since 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 4, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Rights defenders from the MAYDAY.TEAM warned political prisoners\u2019 families about scammers who offer to buy Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka’s pardon for $5,000. In some cases, people reportedly paid $2,000 upfront and heard nothing afterwards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus on February 3 included persecution of journalists as Andrej Buka was tried in \u0160arka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna, Viciebsk region, for alleged violations of holding mass events, the Viciebsk branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. The sentence remains unknown. Earlier, authorities persecuted him for sharing opposition content and blacklisted his Telegram channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej To\u0142cyn, another journalist and former political prisoner pardoned last September, was hospitalized after a trial in early December where he was accused of sharing opposition content, Viasna said. The ruling remains unknown but To\u0142cyn is free now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Minsk City Court sentenced economist Pavie\u0142 Danejka, of the BEROC think tank, to 12 years in a high-security prison on January 31 without him being present, Viasna reported. The judge also imposed a fine of 546,000 rubels (about $160,600). Belarusian authorities persecuted Danejka on charges of unlicensed business activities, conspiracy to seize power and association with an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

English teacher Alena Badziaka went on trial in Minsk on charges of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej Varanco\u016d is on trial in Hrodna, the Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Grdono i Oblast<\/em> Telegram channel said. Authorities accuse him of inciting hatred and insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A defense company employee Karyna Prata\u0161\u010dyk is on trial at the Minsk City Court on extremism-related charges, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Committee for State Security (KGB) on January 27 declared the crowdfunding project Gronka an extremist group, the interior ministry said, listing Pavie\u0142 Libier and actress Kry\u015bcina Droby\u0161 as members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry reported extremist content designations for five Ukrainian Telegram channels, the Padzei<\/em> YouTube channel, doroga. v.ad<\/em> on TikTok, Igor Suglob<\/em> and Avi Aries <\/em>on Facebook and cyan.waw <\/em>on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

At least 1,896 Belarusian NGOs were closed between the 2020 presidential election and January 2025 with some 382 disbanded last year, Lawtrend reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of February 4, human rights defenders identified at least 1,236 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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