{"id":178718,"date":"2026-03-10T11:38:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T08:38:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/178718\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-minsk-city-court-convicts-journalist-five-kalinouski-volunteers","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/178718\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: Minsk City Court convicts journalist, five Kalino\u016dski volunteers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

March 10, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus from March 7 to 9 included lengthy prison terms for a journalist and five exiled Kastu\u015b Kalino\u016dski Regiment (KKR) volunteers who fought Russia alongside Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both cases were heard by the Minsk City Court. Journalist Pavie\u0142 Dabravolski was given on March 6 nine years in a high-security penal colony following a closed-door trial, Pozirk<\/em> reported. The charges of high treason reportedly stemmed from the journalist’s professional activities during the 2020 postelection protests in Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian volunteers Dzianis Prochara\u016d, Pavie\u0142 \u0160urmiej and Vadzim Kaban\u010duk, were given 25 years in prison each; Alaksiej Kaval\u010duk and Alaksiej Nazara\u016d, 12 years in prison. All five were not present at the trial and faced charges ranging from discrediting the state and setting up a criminal group to conspiracy to overthrow the government, extremism and terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate development, Andrej Kuliko\u016d and Anton Kaza\u010denka were convicted on extremism-related charges in Homiel, the local Viasna\u2019s branch and Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. The sentences remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities continued using extremist designations to put pressure on exiled publishers as the Committee for State Security (KGB) branded the coalition of Kamunikat.org Foundation, the Lohvinau Publishing House and Andrei Yanushkevich Publishing as an “extremist” group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KGB listed publishers Jaras\u0142a\u016d Ivaniuk, D\u017amitryj Ko\u0142as, Ihar \u0141ohvina\u016d, Vac\u0142a\u016d Bahdanovi\u010d, Andrej Janu\u0161jkievi\u010d and Alaksandar Ja\u016ddacha as members, designating their websites and social media pages as extremist content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities put up for auction the summer house of exiled rights defender and journalist U\u0142adzimir Chilmanovi\u010d, who had been sentenced to five years in prison in Belarus, Haradzienskaja Pravaabarona said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law enforcers visited the mother of former designated political prisoner Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d \u0141azara\u016d, who had been taken to Lithuania last year, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said. They reportedly urged the woman to encourage her son to return to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarus holds at least 164 female political prisoners, Viasna said on March 8, International Women\u2019s Day. The government has convicted at least 1,917 women in politically motivated criminal cases since the fraudulent presidential election of 2020, it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 10, human rights defenders identified at least 1,139 political prisoners, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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