{"id":129662,"date":"2025-03-12T11:28:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T08:28:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129662\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-trials-of-2020-protesters-continue-2","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129662\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: trials of 2020 protesters continue"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Hrodna businessman accused of inciting hatred<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local news website, three history books branded extremist content<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

UN experts urge Minsk to clarify Cichano\u016dski’s \u201cenforced disappearance\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two regime critics released after serving prison terms in full<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 12, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from March 8 to 11 included a new trial of 2020 protesters in Brest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siarhiej \u0160aci\u0142ovi\u010d, Rus\u0142an Al\u0161kievi\u010d, Ja\u016dhen \u015aciepaniuk and Artur Hrani\u010dny are accused of violent disorder, the Brest branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Another group of regime critics is scheduled to go on a similar trial today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businessman Vital Piatrenka went on trial in Hrodna two days ago on charges of inciting hatred, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blacklisted content<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian interior ministry designated the pro-Ukrainian TPBELA<\/em> Telegram channel as an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry announced extremist content designations for ganc-chas.com<\/em>, books by Viktar Chursik, Siarhiej Zacharevi\u010d and Michai\u0142 Pin\u010duk on crimes committed by Soviet partisans during WW2, the Digital Intelligence Team’s Telegram bot as well as a community on Odnoklassniki dedicated to Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Minsk Regional Court heard Jelisiej Ku\u017aniaco\u016d’s appeal against a two-and-a-half-year prison term given on charges of abusing state symbols and an earlier similar term for participation in 2020 postelection protests. The ruling remains unknown. A few months ago, the 21-year-old was tried on disobedience charges, routinely used in Belarus to keep regime critics behind bars longer. Rights groups consider Ku\u017aniaco\u016d\u2019s persecution to be politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of UN experts demanded from Minsk information about the whereabouts of jailed former presidential hopeful Siarhiej Cichano\u016dski on the second anniversary of his incommunicado detention, which they described as \u201cenforced disappearance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inmates held at Penal Colony No 2 in Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, cannot buy food and essentials on site as the local store is out of order, MAYDAY.TEAM said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anarchist activist Andrej Mara\u010d convicted on protest-related charges was released on March 3 after serving a five-year prison term in full, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar Zialutkin, a father of five, was also released after serving three and a half years in prison on rioting charges, according to Viasna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 12, rights groups identified at least 1,215 political prisoners, including 150 women, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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