{"id":150814,"date":"2025-08-13T11:53:50","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T08:53:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/150814\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-100000-cases-since-august-2020-eight-dissidents-die-behind-bars","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/150814\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: 100,000 cases since August 2020, eight dissidents die behind bars"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 13, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Rights defenders recorded more than 100,000 instances of reprisals, with the number of declared political prisoners soaring from 25 to 1,187 in the five years since the disputed 2020 presidential vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A total of 4,064 people, including 776 women have had this status since August 2020, the Viasna Human Rights Center said. Rights groups also have information about eight dissidents who died behind bars during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 8,532\u00a0people faced politically-motivated criminal charges, with\u00a07,299 sentenced in such cases, including 180 verdicts passed without defendants being present at their trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 3,673 people were convicted on protest-related charges. At least 85 foreigners faced politically-motivated persecution, with 30 still held behind bars. More than 260 declared political prisoners are in the age group from 14 to 35.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exiled Belarusian PEN has documented over 5,800 cases of artists\u2019 rights violations since 2020, noting the closure of at least five independent publishers and the banning of 141 books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent cases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from August 9 to 12 included continued smartphone checks at the border as law enforcers seek to punish followers of online projects branded extremist by Minsk, Mediazona<\/em> reported. Both Belarusians and foreigners are subject to this procedure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Hrodna-based state-run natural gas supplier and a local university sacked staff members for allegedly being insufficiently loyal to the current government, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. Employees at the Hrodna Azort fertilizer company were reportedly fired for having a Pole\u2019s Card that confirms belonging to the Polish nation and gives its holders the right to study, work and do business in Poland. Management of state-run companies routinely checks employees\u2019 social media activities, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iryna Levina, a cancer patient and a mother of four, was released pending trial, Viasna reported. Rights defenders assume she faces criminal charges over alleged links to Bie\u0142aruski Hajun, a group that monitored military activities in Belarus branded “extremist” by the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opposition politician Mika\u0142aj Statkievi\u010d, serving a 14-year prison term and held incommunicado since February 2023, turned 69, Pozirk<\/em> reported. Earlier this year, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian law enforcers are trying to locate people whose pictures were published in the Polish Marsz Bia\u0142orusi. Sierpie\u0144\u2013grudzie\u0144 2020<\/em> book, Dissidentby <\/em>said. Some were subject to searches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry announced extremist content designations for the social media accounts of Russian blogger Maksim Katz as well as belarusianmartyrology<\/em> and chinchinchannel<\/em> satire project on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 13, human rights defenders identified at least 1,187 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases are undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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