{"id":199837,"date":"2026-08-13T13:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/199837\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T13:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:53:06","slug":"imprisoned-trade-unionist-areska-almost-blind-viasna-says","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/199837\/","title":{"rendered":"Imprisoned trade unionist Are\u0161ka almost blind, Viasna says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>August 13, <em>Pozirk.<\/em>&nbsp; <\/strong>Sources in Belarus reported new instances of politically motivated persecution in Belarus on August 11 and 12, including the plight of imprisoned political analyst and trade union activist Vac\u0142a\u016d Are\u0161ka, who has lost his eyesight almost completely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is <em>Pozirk\u2019s<\/em> recap:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vac\u0142a\u016d Are\u0161ka, a 71-year-old activist of the outlawed Electronic Industry Workers\u2019 Trade Union (REP), was sentenced to eight years in prison in January 2023. His eyesight problems have worsened severely while behind bars, and now he relies on other inmates to find his way around his correctional institution in Ivacevi\u010dy, Brest region. Nevertheless, the prison administration so far has not granted him the status of a person with disability, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Horki District Court in the Mahilo\u016d region on August 6 designated the website of Postimees, a major media outlet in Estonia, as \u201cextremist content.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The information ministry added 10 Telegram, Instagram, TikTok and Threads accounts to its list of \u201cextremist content.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Authorities refuse to release prisoners on medical grounds even if they are terminally ill, the International Committee for the Investigation of Torture in Belarus says in a report. Outstanding compensation claims, negative feedback from the prison administration and the severity of allegedly committed crimes are placed above humanitarian considerations, whether or not the imprisonment of such individuals is politically motivated, Viasna reported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Human rights defenders have documented that at least 220 people have been convicted over links to Bie\u0142aruski Hajun, a now-defunct online initiative that monitored Russian military activities in Belarus from 2022 to 2025, Viasna reported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public quiz shows in Hrodna have been allowed, a few days after cancellation. Authorities allegedly equated such games with \u201cmass events\u201d requiring permission, Viasna reported.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The number of documented political prisoners in Belarus decreased by one to 878, Viasna reported. The actual number of political prisoners in the country is much larger, as many cases go unreported.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\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\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ-354x236.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ-354x236.jpg 354w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ-734x490.jpg 734w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ-178x118.jpg 178w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/turma-repressii-2026-1-POZ.jpg 875w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 354px) 100vw, 354px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                            <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Society<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics, Society<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Demoted colonel appointed head of Homiel penal colony for women<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">August 12, Pozirk. Alaksandar \u0141a\u016dryno\u016dski, a colonel in the interior ministry, has been appointed warden of Homiel Penal Colony No. 4, a facility for female first-time offenders, the MAYDAY.TEAM initiative said on Telegram. \u0141a\u016dryno\u016dski, 41, was previously deputy head of &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/news\/199752\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read <\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>August 13, Pozirk.&nbsp; Sources in Belarus reported new instances of politically motivated persecution in Belarus on August 11 and 12, including the plight of imprisoned political analyst and trade union activist Vac\u0142a\u016d Are\u0161ka, who has lost his eyesight almost completely. Below is Pozirk\u2019s recap:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":63993,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-199837","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>Imprisoned trade unionist Are\u0161ka almost blind, Viasna says | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"August 13, Pozirk.&nbsp; Sources in Belarus reported new instances of politically motivated persecution in Belarus on August 11 and 12, including the\" \/>\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\/199837\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Imprisoned trade unionist Are\u0161ka almost blind, Viasna says | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"August 13, Pozirk.&nbsp; 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