{"id":1852,"date":"2023-08-24T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T08:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=1852"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-20","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/1852\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 24, BPN<\/em>. <\/strong>New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 23 with more arrests and convictions reported in connection with the 2020 post-election protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viciebsk police arrested a man who admitted, apparently under duress, to writing online comments allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, a pro-government Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least three armed police officers broke into the apartment of Alina Budaj and arrested her for allegedly signing up to the opposition Pieramoha Plan and participating in protests, a pro-government source said. Her friend Darja Ahryzka is also under arrest. Budaj\u2019s other friend, Illa Janko\u016dski, reportedly came to the police department voluntarily and confessed to participating in a 2020 protest rally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five employees of Bie\u0142hipraziem, a state-run land management company, are under arrest, a pro-government Telegram channel said and posted an old video featuring one of the arrested promising to paint his car in white-red-white colors in case of \u0141uka\u0161enka’s leaving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riot police arrested a 39-year-old woman in the Homiel region’s \u0141oje\u016d district, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. She was fined for allegedly disobeying police orders and then charged with inciting hatred. The woman reportedly filmed and posted online a video of her daughter being fined for not wearing a pedestrian’s safety reflector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ta\u0107ciana Kastryckaja and Jahor \u0160kundzi\u010d were tried in the Hrodna region on charges of sharing opposition content, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region reported. The outcomes of the trials are unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jailed Vasil Dzemidovi\u010d, 71, went on trial in Nia\u015bvi\u017e, Minsk region, for writing online comments in a Telegram channel deemed extremist in Belarus, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Earlier, authorities sentenced him to seven years in prison in six trials on charges of insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka, public officials and judges. Authorities also blacklisted him as a “person involved in terrorist activities.” The designation carries a complete ban on financial transactions, including cash transfers to prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Homiel sentenced Anastasija Pietra\u010denka to three years in prison for a failed attempt to donate $17 to Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine, Viasna said. The woman was arrested upon her return to Belarus from Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The prosecutor requested a three-and-a-half-year prison term for Arciom Labied\u017aka, son of prominent exiled Belarusian opposition politician Anatol Labied\u017aka, accused of financing extremism, Viasna reported. The verdict is expected on August 24.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Supreme Court will hear an appeal by jailed journalist Ja\u016dhien Mierkis behind closed doors on August 29, the electronic court’s schedule says. The same court will hear the liquidation suit against the Belarusian Social Sports Party on September 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Homiel sentenced Anton Chadkievi\u010d to three and a half years in prison on charges of gross violations of public order, facilitating extremism and slandering \u0141uka\u0161enka, the Homiel branch of Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On August 15, Janina Panasievi\u010d, 63, was given four years of restricted freedom in home confinement and fined 3,700 rubels ($1,170) on several criminal charges, including insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka and illegal handling of personal data, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detention conditions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities transferred Kanstancin Za\u0142atych, Mediarynok CEO and director of the business monthly Belorusy i Rynok<\/em>, to Penal Colony No 1 in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, Viasna reported. He is currently serving a four-year prison term on charges denounced by human rights groups as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremist list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viasna reported that Belarusian authorities declared it an extremist group. The interior ministry has not yet updated its online extremist group register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities blacklisted several VKontakte pages, including the one dedicated to the Daj Darohu rock band, as well as the social media accounts of the Hrodna-based Admietna\u015b\u0107 store selling Belarusian-themed goods and the Rudabielskaja Pakazucha<\/em> Odnoklassniki account as extremist content, according to the list published on the information ministry\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prosecutors requested an extremist content designation for a video and the Instagram page of the New Life Protestant Church in Minsk, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija<\/em> reported. The outcome of the August 23 court hearing remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The justice ministry ruled to shut down SaveUS, an animal protection group, its Instagram page says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several employees of the National History Archive in Minsk, mostly those affected by the August 16 police raid, were fired, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whereabouts of jailed opposition activist Palina Palina \u0160arenda-Panasiuk are unknown after she was transferred from Homiel’s pre-trial detention center, her husband Andrej \u0160arenda said. She faces new criminal charges of disobeying prison authorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 24, human rights defenders identified at least 1,486 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

August 24, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 23 with more arrests and convictions reported in connection with the 2020 post-election protests. Arrests Viciebsk police arrested a man who admitted, apparently under duress, to writing online comments allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, a pro-government Telegram channel said. At least three armed police […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[14],"class_list":["post-1852","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpdate on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"August 24, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 23 with more arrests and convictions\" \/>\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\/1852\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"August 24, BPN. New cases of 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