{"id":147958,"date":"2025-07-24T10:26:32","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T07:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/147958\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"human-rights-groups-document-new-attacks-on-freedom-of-expression","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/147958\/","title":{"rendered":"Human rights groups document new attacks on freedom of expression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>New trials of suspected postelection protesters<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>New political prisoners<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Pozirk\u2019s commentators wanted in Russia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ex-Naftan engineer soon to stand trial in Russia<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>July 24,&nbsp;<\/strong><strong><em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong>&nbsp;Human rights defenders reported on July 22 and 23 new instances of persecution in connection the 2020 postelection protests and attacks on freedom of expression in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Investigators in Pinsk, Brest region, brought extremism-related charged against a local resident in connection with an interview that he gave to a banned YouTube channel, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Dziar\u017eynsk, Minsk region, district judges try local residents accused of taking part in the postelection protests. Three individuals were sentenced to restricted freedom in home confinement, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Viasna and other human rights groups have recognized 20 more people as political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New additions include Vital Azrymienka, Maksim Arcimenia, Andrej Bierasta\u016d, Ja\u016dhien Bodryka\u016d, Maryja Dziej\u010dyk, Dzijana Ha\u016dry\u0142ava, Alaksandar Hiersimmienka, Aleh Zialonka, Andrej Zahorski, Vital Ka\u015bciecki, Vasil Klimovi\u010d, Valancin Klebanovi\u010d, Kiry\u0142 Kra\u016dco\u016d, Iryna Levina, Juryj Nie\u015bciera\u016d, Siarhiej Sa\u0142a\u017eenca\u016d, Volha Sitnik, Vital \u010cavusa\u016d, Alaksandar Jacukievi\u010d and D\u017amitryj Ja\u0142\u010danka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All faced reprisals for alleged links with opposition initiatives or media outlets that Minsk branded as extremist groups for political reasons after the disputed 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information ministry has announced extremist content designations for the Instagram accounts Bierasciejskaja Viasna and philosopher-in-prison (linked to imprisoned NGO leader U\u0142adzimir Mackievi\u010d), the Telegram chats Chat ShK, Masiuko\u016d\u0161\u010dyna 2.0 (haradok) and Chat Masiukovshchina 1, and the Thread account Christian Vision for Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities in Russia-held Ukrainian breakaway Donetsk region blacklisted the Belarusian Kastu\u015b Kalino\u016dski Regiment (KKR) fighting Russia alongside Ukrainian forces as a \u201cterrorist organization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Russian prosecutors have forwarded to court a case against Siarhiej Jeramieje\u016d, a Belarusian man accused of involvement in the attacks on the Baikal\u2013Amur Mainline in November 2023, the Russian Prosecutor General\u2019s Office reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The criminal proceedings will be held at Russia\u2019s 2nd Eastern District Military Court in Chita, Russia\u2019s Zabaykalsky Krai. The man faces charges of terrorism as well as smuggling and illegal handling of explosives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Mahilo\u016d region prosecutor has restricted access to the websites of Human Rights Defenders against Torture (protivpytok.org) and Russia\u2019s Memorial PZK (memopzk.org), citing alleged false reports on politics and human rights abuses in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prominent political commentators and journalists are wanted in Russia over their alleged links to the Belarusian exiled news agency <em>Pozirk<\/em>. The Russian database lists Alaksandar Klasko\u016dski, Piotra Rudko\u016dski, Germany-based scholar Alexander Friedman and journalist Ta\u0107ciana Karaviankova.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The database also features Jarasla\u016d Scie\u0161yk, a reporter with Belsat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Henrych Akalatovi\u010d, a Catholic priest serving an 11-year prison sentence after being convicted of high treason, has been taken back to the penal colony in Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, from the Minsk detention center, Chryscijanskaja Vizija reported. The reasons are unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police conducted a search at the apartment of the mother of Dzianis Salmanovi\u010d, an activist serving a 10-year sentence. The mother fled Belarus in 2021, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On July 23, human rights defenders identified at least 1,156 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent decrease in documented cases is attributed to the Supreme Court blocking access to its electronic schedule of trials and database of rulings since early April.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New trials of suspected postelection protesters New political prisoners Pozirk\u2019s commentators wanted in Russia Ex-Naftan engineer soon to stand trial in Russia July 24,&nbsp;Pozirk.&nbsp;Human rights defenders reported on July 22 and 23 new instances of persecution in connection the 2020 postelection protests and attacks on freedom of expression in Belarus. Investigators in Pinsk, Brest region, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":63993,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-147958","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Human rights groups document new attacks on freedom of expression | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New trials of suspected postelection protesters New political prisoners Pozirk\u2019s commentators wanted in Russia Ex-Naftan engineer soon to stand trial in\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/147958\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta 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