{"id":136361,"date":"2025-05-01T16:37:22","date_gmt":"2025-05-01T13:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/136361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-jailed-activist-kulsa-on-hunger-strike-health-conditions-critical","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/136361\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: jailed activist Kul\u0161a on hunger strike, health conditions critical"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Briefly:\u00a0Catholic priest given 13 years in prison<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minsk releases Belarusian-US lawyer Ziankovi\u010d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three prominent exiled activists accused of crimes over their activities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prosecutor General seeks to label transition cabinet as terrorist organization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May 1, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Jailed activist Viktoryja Kul\u0161a announced an indefinite hunger strike ahead of a new trial on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Her health may be critically compromised, former prisoner Palina \u0160arenda-Panasiuk warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus over the past five days included a 13-year prison sentence to Andrej Juchnievi\u010d, rector of the church of Our Lady of F\u00e1tima in \u0160umilina, Viciebsk region, katolik.life<\/em> reported. No further details are known since the judge closed the trial to the public. Rights groups consider him a political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other development, Minsk released Jura\u015b Ziankovi\u010d,\u00a0a Belarusian politician with US citizenship, CNN\u00a0<\/em>reported. In September 2022, he was given 11 years in prison on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the government. Immediately after his release, US officials took him to neighboring Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also released Andrej Asma\u0142o\u016dski, an activist of the United Civic Party, after he had served a three-year prison term in full, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harassment of exiled activists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Program head of the Free Belarusian University Alaksandar \u0141ahviniec was accused of inciting hatred, calling for sanctions, a conspiracy to seize the state power in Belarus and association with an extremist group, the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lithuania-based rights activist Leanid Sudalenka said on Facebook that Belarusian investigators filed three extremism-related cases against him. One was filed in April over a video posted to Viasna\u2019s YouTube channel, while two others date back to February for a 6TV <\/em>show produced in 2023 and 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities also charged exiled opposition activist Palina \u0160arenda-Panasiuk with calling for sanctions and violating preventive supervision after her release from prison, her husband Andrej \u0160arenda said on Facebook. The woman fled Belarus in February after spending more than four years behind bars on charges widely seen as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Prosecutor General Andrej \u0160vied requested the Supreme Court to brand the opposition transition cabinet as a \u201cterrorist\u201d organization, his press office reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior ministry branded 15 women and 21 men as \u201cpersons involved in extremist activities,\u201d taking the total of entries on the official extremist register to 5,228, according to its website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also announced extremist content designations for ofaleh_maiseyeu<\/em>, belarusinbrazil<\/em>, eduofficefornewbelarus<\/em> and shodbelarus <\/em>on Instagram as well as several pages on Telegram, YouTube and TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of May 1, human rights defenders identified at least 1,206 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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