{"id":134457,"date":"2025-04-16T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T09:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/134457\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-new-wave-of-crackdown-targets-exiled-journalists","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/134457\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: new wave of crackdown targets exiled journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly: Pole deported from Belarus after serving prison term for insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interior ministry brands 27 people as \u201cextremists\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several Belarusian expats\u2019 online communities blacklisted<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two regime critics face more criminal charges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

April 16, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Journalists and their Belarus-based family members face a new wave of reprisals, the Belarusian Association of Journalists warned. In most incidents, the law enforcers visit exiled journalists’ homes in Belarus, making it clear that some were charged in criminal cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other instances of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from April 11 to 15 include potential new criminal charges against Julija Ka\u015bciu\u010denka, who had earlier served a prison term for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, the Homiel branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jailed activist Alaksandra Kasko was transferred to a pre-trial detention center in the Brest region’s Baranavi\u010dy, pending a new trial, MAYDAY.TEAM said. Authorities did not disclose any further details. Earlier, the woman had been given a lengthy prison term on defamation and extremism-related charges upon her return to Belarus. Rights groups consider her persecution to be politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksiej \u0160pako\u016dski was convicted of rioting in November, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported, noting that the man was also branded a terrorist. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExtremist\u201d registers update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior ministry added 27 more people to the list of \u201cpersons involved in extremist activities\u201d five days ago, taking the total of entries to 5,142.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry announced extremist content designations for several exiled Belarusians\u2019 communities, including Supo\u0142ka bie\u0142arusa\u016d Narvehii<\/em>, belarusy_sacramento<\/em>, Bie\u0142arusy Hruzii \/By in Georgia (by_in_georgia) <\/em>and Mission of Democratic Belarus in Brussels (freebelaruseu)<\/em> on Instagram and Supo\u0142ka Bie\u0142arusa\u016d u Italii\/Associazione Bielorussi in Italia<\/em> on Facebook as well as several other social media accounts with links to the Belarusian opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Alesia Parfiankova, sister of Vasil Parfianko\u016d, Belarusian volunteer killed in 2022 defending Ukraine, died aged 44 from cancer, Pozirk <\/em>reported. She refused to leave Belarus, despite pressure from law enforcers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polish national Robert Tampala, sentenced to prison in Belarus over social media comments that allegedly insulted \u0141uka\u0161enka and officials, was deported after his release and banned from entering Belarus for eight years, dissidentby reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups added Hienad\u017a Ivan\u010dyka\u016d, Alaksiej Siemianiuk, Ihar Draby\u0161e\u016dski, Natalla Bie\u0142akurskaja, Mika\u0142aj Snytko, Alaksandar Horbiel and Dzianis Bie\u0142ahalo\u016d to their list of poplitical prisoners, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 16, human rights defenders identified at least 1,192 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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