{"id":163313,"date":"2025-11-07T11:21:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T08:21:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163313\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"eight-sentenced-in-homiel-for-alleged-association-with-extremist-group","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/163313\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight sentenced in Homiel for alleged association with extremist group"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 7, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Belarusian authorities have intensified their crackdown on dissent, with a Homiel court sentencing eight Mazyr residents \u2014 mostly minors \u2014 for alleged extremism, the interior ministry expanding its blacklist of \u201cextremists\u201d and officials in Hrodna and Minsk targeting independent businesses and professionals accused of threatening national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Homiel Regional Court handed down prison and non-custodial sentences, state-run media reported on November 6.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six defendants received terms of three to six years and nine months in minimum-security colonies. One was sentenced to three years and six months in a juvenile colony, while another was given three years of \u201crestricted freedom\u201d under home confinement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the prosecution, the accused \u201cpromoted Nazism\u201d \u2014 a charge frequently used to target opposition supporters for their political views. The defendants were also accused of involvement in \u201ca number of physical assaults against city residents motivated by national or other social enmity or hatred,\u201d another allegation often applied in politically motivated cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior ministry added 15 individuals to its list of \u201cextremists,\u201d a label commonly attached to opposition activists. The newly listed names are Nasta Hryckievi\u010d, Kaciaryna \u017de\u016dtanoha, Alena Sulak, Ta\u0107ciana \u0141ukjancava, Julija Fenner, Maksim \u0141anskich, Kaciaryna Zajcava, Nasta Nika\u0142ajeva, Andrej Kryva\u0161ej, Alaksiej Pierava\u0142a\u016d, Vadzim Dziaruhin, D\u017amitryj Karpovi\u010d, Alaksiej Prochar\u010dyk, Darja Pu\u010dy\u0142a, and Pavie\u0142 \u010cyrun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ministry also designated the social media accounts of exiled prankster Andrej Burym, known as Mellstroy, as extremist content, declaring him a threat to national security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Hrodna, authorities forced the Vspomnit Vse quiz club to suspend its activities after the host criticized the government, Hrodna.life<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the economy ministry\u2019s Reorganization and Bankruptcy Department on November 6 suspended the licenses of 19 insolvency administrators, alleging that they had \u201ccommitted acts creating a threat to national security.\u201d Those targeted were interrogated by the Committee for State Security (KGB), and some were coerced into cooperating as informants, according to reports by the department and zerkalo.io.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of November 6, human rights defenders had identified at least 1,237 political prisoners in Belarus, though the actual number is believed to be considerably higher due to many undocumented cases. Rights groups noted that at least 182 prisoners were in vulnerable condition as of early November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observers attribute the recent decline in documented cases to the Supreme Court\u2019s decision to block public access to its electronic schedule of trials and database of rulings since early April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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