August 7, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 5 and 6 as reprisals continue unabated with more people charged in connection with 2020 protests, support of Ukraine and online comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Police arrested eight people in Minsk claiming they were drunk, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. The incident took place on July 9 when they allegedly shouted pro-Ukraine slogans. All were jailed for 15 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A welder from Homsielma\u0161, a state-run agricultural equipment company in Homiel, is under arrest for online comments, pro-government sources reported. In a police video, the man confessed to sharing opposition content and posting insults. The arrested faces criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On August 4, police arrested Nadzieja and Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d Janu\u0161kievi\u010d in Dziar\u017eynsk, Minsk region, after allegedly identifying them on pictures of 2020 protests, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Persecution of Belarusians deemed disloyal to the authorities will continue, senior police official Michai\u0142 Bedunkievi\u010d told STV. “If we stop, they will start working against us,” he said. “The same hidden cells will reappear and grow stronger. . . They will work to undermine the state from the inside.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Belarusian prison system is designed to break people psychologically, prominent human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka told Viasna. The Homiel-based activist recently left Belarus after his release from prison where he had served three years on charges widely seen as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Authorities blocked access to the sports website resport.by that replaced the banned pressball.by, BPN reported. It has been available for less than 24 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Alaksiej Haj\u0161un, writer and translator from Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, has left Belarus. In late April he was released from prison where he had served 18 months in a politically-motivated case, activist Volha K\u0142asko\u016dskaja wrote in her Telegram channel. Haj\u0161un reportedly wrote three books in custody yet the prison authorities destroyed the drafts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As of August 7, human rights defenders identified at least 1,489 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
August 7, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 5 and 6 as reprisals continue unabated with more people charged in connection with 2020 protests, support of Ukraine and online comments. Arrests Police arrested eight people in Minsk claiming they were drunk, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. The incident […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-1513","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n