{"id":129706,"date":"2025-03-12T15:09:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T12:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129706\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"viasna-hundreds-jailed-dissidents-at-risk","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129706\/","title":{"rendered":"Viasna: hundreds jailed regime critics at risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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March 12, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> At least 219 people held in Belarusian prisons in politically-motivated cases belong to risk groups, says a recent report by the Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 78 have fragile health, 32 are over 60 with health issues and eight have a disability, rights defenders noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten among those whom rights groups identified as political prisoners suffer from mental disorders. Viasna also knows of at least 10 families where both parents are held behind bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The oldest prisoner is 77-year-old Michai\u0142 Lapiejka from Mahilo\u016d, sent for compulsory treatment in a psychiatric clinic for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ill-treatment in Belarusian prisons has been recorded since the 2020 political crisis as the current authorities subjected their opponents to torture-like conditions, targeting among others people with disabilities and other health issues, Viasna’s lawyer Pavie\u0142 Sapie\u0142ka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk should immediately release all political prisoners, review politically motivated sentences and stop reprisals, he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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