{"id":170054,"date":"2025-12-30T13:51:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T10:51:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/170054\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"opposition-leader-hundreds-still-held-behind-bars-for-political-reasons","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/170054\/","title":{"rendered":"Opposition leader: hundreds still held behind bars for political reasons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"block-image block-image-normal\">\n\n  <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1128\" height=\"752\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752.jpg 1128w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/tihanovskaja_akcija_politzakl_vln_POZ_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1128px) 100vw, 1128px\" \/>\n  <figcaption>\n  \n       <div class=\"block-image__author\">\n                <span>(Pozirk)<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n     <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>December 30, <em>Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has welcomed the pardon of 22 people, including 20 designated political prisoners, announced today by a Telegram channel linked to Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese people should never have been behind bars. No forced \u2018repentance\u2019 or coerced confessions can make them guilty,\u201d the politician said on Telegram. She stressed that a \u201cpardon\u201d is only a first step, noting that the people were freed after unlawful imprisonment and now need proper conditions to recover. Cichano\u016dskaja added that it is essential that those released are not subjected to renewed pressure or threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hundreds of designated political prisoners remain in Belarusian prisons, including people with serious illnesses, senior citizens, mothers and fathers of young children, the politician said, calling for their release and an end to politically-motivated reprisals. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"354\" height=\"236\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/pozirk_color_blank_1128x752.jpg 1128w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Reprisals: teenagers given lengthy prison terms for alleged links with Ukraine<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">December 30, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from December 25 to 29 included lengthy prison terms for a group of teenagers accused of setting up an anarchist cell and cooperating with Ukrainian secret services. Alaksandra Pulinovi\u010d, &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/170042\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 30, Pozirk. Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has welcomed the pardon of 22 people, including 20 designated political prisoners, announced today by a Telegram channel linked to Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka\u2019s press office. \u201cThese people should never have been behind bars. No forced \u2018repentance\u2019 or coerced confessions can make them guilty,\u201d the politician said on Telegram. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":138655,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-170054","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>Opposition leader: hundreds still held behind bars for political reasons | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"December 30, Pozirk. Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja has welcomed the pardon of 22 people, including 20 designated political\" \/>\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\/170054\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opposition leader: hundreds still held behind bars for political reasons | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"December 30, Pozirk. 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