{"id":124985,"date":"2025-02-05T12:14:37","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T09:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/124985\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-audit-executive-awaiting-trial-over-politics","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/124985\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: ex-EY partner awaiting trial over politics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Journalist, two others tried for online activities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiled blogger faces 10 criminal charges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KGB blacklists exiled stand-up comedian as terrorist for jokes about \u0141uka\u0161enka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

RFE\/RL<\/em> journalist’s Facebook page branded extremist content <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four on trial in politically-motivated criminal cases<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

February 5, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New instances of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on February 4 with the arrest of Pavie\u0142 \u0141a\u0161\u010danka, former head of Ernst & Young Belarus re-branded as B1 in 2022, making headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The audit company executive has been held in a pre-trial detention center for about two months, Na\u0161a Niva <\/em>reported, noting that authorities persecute him for speaking out against election fraud and police brutality in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Police arrested D\u017amitryj Stahurski, whose exiled brother Mika\u0142aj received threats from propagandist Ryhor Azaronak, Flagshtok <\/em>reported. D\u017amitryj Stahurski is accused of sharing opposition content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in \u0160arka\u016d\u0161\u010dyna, Viciebsk region, fined journalist Andrej Buka 2,100 rubels ($615) for posting a banned national symbol on social media, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nadzieja Kukanos, 64, was tried in Viciebsk yesterday for sharing opposition content, the Viciebsk branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center said. The sentence remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry reported extremist content designations for a photo album about the celebration of the 100th anniversary of short-lived Belarusian independence, Marat Haravy’s book about Josef Stalin’s terror in Belarus and RFE\/RL<\/em> journalist D\u017amitryj Hurnievi\u010d’s Facebook page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other blacklisted content includes three Telegram channels; vyraj.\u0440\u0406<\/em>, belarusfreetheatre<\/em>, stachkombelaruskalii <\/em>and chajkouskaya<\/em> on Instagram; andronchik8<\/em>, bezumniibelarus<\/em>, belnel<\/em> and politzaklyhenibelarus <\/em>on TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prosecutor General\u2019s Office said it forwarded a case against Coordination Council member and blogger Siarhiej Biaspa\u0142a\u016d to the Supreme Court to determine jurisdiction. Prosecutors accuse exiled Biaspa\u0142a\u016d of association with an extremist group and nine other crimes for his online activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Siarhiej Bie\u0142y, a Ukrainian-born man jailed in a politically-motivated case, went on a new trial in Minsk to answer charges of insulting officials, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viasna’s Homiel branch reported the trials of Alaksandar Javorski, accused of inciting hatred and insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka and student Kanstancin Cichamira\u016d on charges of abusing state symbols.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar Barysa\u016d is on trial in Vicebsk with the proceedings being closed to the public. The man, whose citizenship remains unknown, faces spying charges. Belarus convicted at least 19 foreigners of spying since 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTerrorist\u201d list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security added six people to the list of \u201cpersons involved in terrorist activity,\u201d including exiled comedian Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d Kamisaranka, sentenced to six years in prison in Belarus for jokes about \u0141uka\u0161enka, Pozirk<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other blacklisted people are Armien Arzumanian, Barys Krycki as well as political prisoners Valeryj Miafodzienka, Anastasija \u017dylskaja and D\u017amitryj Asijuk. Earlier, authorities branded them all as “extremists.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A special government commission set up two years ago to handle requests from political emigrants for return to Belarus reviewed 241 requests and 19 applicants have already returned to Belarus, according to the prosecutor general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of February 5, human rights defenders identified at least 1,234 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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