{"id":130616,"date":"2025-03-19T11:22:04","date_gmt":"2025-03-19T08:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/130616\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-russian-artist-arrested-and-deported-over-anti-war-position","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/130616\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: Russian artist arrested and deported over anti-war position"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Jailed politician, 11 others on KGB terrorist register<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Information ministry blacklists content by youth initiative, media project as extremist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hrodna man convicted of insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka commits<\/strong> suicide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiled journalist accused of facilitating extremism<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 19, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus on March 18 included the arrest of Russian standup comedian Artemiy Ostanin. Police handed him over to Russia, where he is wanted for insulting Russian soldiers who attack Ukraine, pro-government sources said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Terrorist and extremist lists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 Committee for State Security (KGB) announced 12 new additions to the list of \u201cpersons involved in terrorist activities,\u201d taking the total to 1,260 names, including 567 Belarusian nationals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the recently blacklisted is D\u017amitryj Ku\u010duk, former chairman of the outlawed Belarusian Greens Party, who was given six years in prison in late 2024 on charges of violent disorder and calls for international sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry announced extremist content designations for five Telegram channels and chats, including two by Belarusian communities in Poland; opposition youth initiative’s thisisyouth.info<\/em> and associated social media pages; olga.karatch<\/em> on Instagram; PSICHO || Belarus<\/em> on VKontakte; TikTok and YouTube accounts by s13.ru<\/em> media project and Maria Kalesnikava<\/em> on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Alaksiej Ausiukievi\u010d, 41, sentenced to restricted freedom in home confinement for insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, committed suicide on October 11, 2024, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiled Aksana Ko\u0142b, former editor in chief at Novy \u010cas<\/em>, was summoned to the Valo\u017eyn’s District Court in the Minsk region, the Belarusian Association of Journalists reported. Today, the court is scheduled to rule on toughening her two-and-and-half-year restricted freedom sentence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities persecuted the journalist on protest-related charges and reportedly have also recently accused her of facilitating extremism for alleged association with banned media outlets. Ko\u0142b managed to leave Belarus after the original trial, as the sentence was to be served in home confinement.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 19, human rights defenders identified at least 1,210 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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