{"id":130965,"date":"2025-03-21T11:53:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T08:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/130965\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-rights-groups-designate-91-as-former-political-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/130965\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: rights groups designate 91 as former political prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Five Mahilo\u016d men given prison terms over 2020 protests<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk pressed charges against 15 RFE\/RL journalists in 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

KGB brands exiled think tank as \u201cextremist\u201d group<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supreme Court rejects Viciebsk doctor\u2019s appeal <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BySol helps another journalist flee Belarus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian artist beaten, tortured during arrest in Belarus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 21, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Rights groups declared 91 people, including the late Valancin Ivano\u016dski, as former political prisoners yesterday. All were imprisoned for exercising freedom of expression and freedom of assembly, and have been released without rehabilitation or compensation, human rights defenders said in a joint statement on spring96.org<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus on March 20 included a guilty verdict for five men accused of hooliganism in Mahilo\u016d: Ja\u016dhien Pucianko\u016d, Jan Raha\u016dco\u016d, Juryj Ha\u0142a\u010dkin, Viktar I\u010denski and Alaksandar Ihnacienka. They were given prison terms ranging from three to six years for setting on fire a market stand in August 2020, MAYDAY.TEAM said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

in other development, the Supreme Court upheld the four-year prison sentence for Viciebsk doctor Alaksandar Randarenka convicted on charges of inciting hatred and rehabilitating Nazism, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Rights defenders consider his persecution to be politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Persecution of journalists and researchers<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Belarusian officials filed criminal charges against at least 15 journalists of the Prague-based Belarus Service of Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty<\/em> (RFE\/RL), D\u017amitryj Hurnievi\u010d reported on Radyjo Svaboda<\/em>\u2018s YouTube channel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BySol Solidarity Foundation helped journalist Ksienija \u010cyndarava, who collaborated with the outlawed \u0160todzie\u0144 local news outlet from Homiel, leave Belarus, its head Andrej Stry\u017eak said on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus\u2019 Committee for State Security (KGB) declared the Center for New Ideas an extremist group, the interior ministry reported. Prominent Belarusian researchers Ryhor Astapienia, Stas Harelik, Anastasija \u017da\u016dryd, Hienad\u017a Kor\u0161una\u016d, Pavie\u0142 Macukievi\u010d, Anton Radnianko\u016d, Darja Ruble\u016dskaja and Alesia Rudnik were identified as members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The information ministry announced extremist content designations for the social media pages of the Belarusian Christian Democrats, Belarus live<\/em> on YouTube, belarustogether.net <\/em>and associated social media accounts, olga.karatch.belarus<\/em> on Facebook, Svabodnyja Ludzi<\/em> and six other pages on Odnoklassniki; five Telegram channels, including the Vitebsk, Ya Gulayu!<\/em> that monitors politically-motivated persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Russian standup comedian Artemiy Ostanin was beaten with truncheons and tortured with a stun gun during his arrest in Belarus, the Merkacheva Prava<\/em> Telegram channel said. The man was handed over to Russia where he faces politically-motivated criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 21, human rights defenders identified at least 1,204 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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