{"id":172433,"date":"2026-01-21T11:00:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T08:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/172433\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-new-prison-sentence-in-bielaruski-hajun-case-in-homiel","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/172433\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: new prison sentence in Bie\u0142aruski Hajun case in Homiel"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January 21, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Another sentence in the Bie\u0142aruski Hajun case was passed in Homiel yesterday, with four and a half years in prison for Alaksandar Hierasimienka on extremism-related charges, the Homiel branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Founded after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Bie\u0142aruski Hajun monitored military activity in Belarus. The project folded in February 2025, soon after unknown individuals gained access to its chatbot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus yesterday included an extremist group designation to the Free Belarus Center nonprofit, Pozirk<\/em> reported. Based in Warsaw and Kyiv, the initiative provides legal and mental health counseling to Belarusians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate development, Penal Colony No 1 in Viciebsk region\u2019s Navapo\u0142ack tightened rules for accepting parcels for inmates, MAYDAY.TEAM reported. Inspectors now take roughly twice as long to check food parcels and packages, causing queues to form in the inspection room when relatives arrive. During inspections, prison staff cut open meat products, lard, cheese, citrus fruits, cookies and candy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Penal Colony No 11 in Va\u016dkavysk, Hrodna region, banned parcels with books for inmates, MAYDAY.TEAM added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus holds at least 22 foreigners on politically-motivated charges, Viasna said. Half of them are Russians, while others are nationals of Ukraine, Lithuania, France, Latvia and Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups added 14 new names to the list of political prisoners yesterday, said a statement by Viasna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of January 21, human rights defenders identified at least 1,158 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"