{"id":169354,"date":"2025-12-23T11:33:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T08:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169354\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-in-belarus-continue-with-new-extremism-charges-and-designations","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/169354\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals in Belarus continue with new extremism charges and designations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 23, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus from December 20 to 22, with more people accused of extremism for opposing the current authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siarhiej Strybulski, a former defendant in a high-profile protest-related case, faces criminal charges of facilitating extremist activities, Pozirk<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Minsk sentenced D\u017amitryj Do\u016dhal to a prison term on similar charges, Na\u0161a Niv<\/em>a said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Art-manager Kiry\u0142 Kra\u016dco\u016d was given four years of restricted freedom in home confinement in a criminal case linked to the now-defunct Bie\u0142aruski Hajun online project that monitored Russian military activities in Belarus, Flagshtok<\/em> said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremist designations<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three days ago, the interior ministry added 32 regime critics to the list of \u201cpersons involved in extremist activity,\u201d taking the total number of entries on the official extremist register to 6,116. One of them is Maksim Ralko, a former soldier of the Belarusian Kastu\u015b Kalino\u016dski Regiment (KKR) that fights alongside Ukrainian forces, who was given ten years in a Belarusian prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities designated several webpages linked to the Conference of International Non-governmental Organizations (CINGO) of the Council of Europe at coe.int as \u201cextremist content,\u201d the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other blacklisted pages include media-polesye.com <\/em>and a corresponding X account, Minsk Belarus Mir Novosti <\/em>on Instagram, Belarus Top<\/em> on VKontakte, Novosti Belarusi I Minska <\/em>on Facebook, ASTRA<\/em> and Belarus_360 <\/em>on Telegram, the information ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security (KGB) branded the Da Zora\u016d culture initiative as an \u201cextremist” group, according to the interior ministry’s website. It listed Siamion Ma\u0142a\u0161anka\u016d and Ale\u015b \u010cumako\u016d of the medieval music band Stary Olsa as members. \u010cumako\u016d is most likely under arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Disobedience charges often filed against jailed dissidents leave them exposed to potentially lifelong sentences, Viasna reported, citing recently released prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bailiff contacted exiled Ihar \u0141osik, one of the recently pardoned prisoners who was taken to Lithuania, to collect 22 million rubels (some $7.5 million) from him in accordance with a court ruling, \u0141osik said on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yesterday, rights groups designated 23 more people as political prisoners. They are imprisoned on charges ranging from insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka to facilitating extremist activities, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of December 23, human rights defenders identified at least 1,120 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"