{"id":2470,"date":"2023-08-23T12:08:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T09:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=2470"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-22","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/2470\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 23, <\/strong>BPN.<\/em><\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 22 with reports coming in of more arrests and opposition content blacklisted as extremist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrested and released<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested dentist Alaksandar Hrudnicki and his wife after their return from Lithuania, BPN<\/em> reported. The reasons for the arrest and their current whereabouts are unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least five employees of Bie\u0142hipraziem, a state-run land management company, were arrested in the last few days, pro-government Telegram channels reported. In police videos, the arrested admitted to following opposition content. The scale of reprisals may be larger because the company is advertising about a dozen of open positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week, Committee for State Security (KGB) agents briefly detained Alaksiej Ka\u015bciu\u0161kin and Volha Si\u0142kova in Mahilo\u016d, MAYDAY TEAM reported. Both are now free but the authorities have not disclosed the reasons for the arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities released U\u0142adzimir \u0141ankievi\u010d after he had served three years in prison for an alleged attempt to block railway traffic, the Brest branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A judge in Pastavy, Viciebsk region, have sent Dzianis Cybulski twice in jail since June for liking opposition content on social media, the Viciebsk branch Viasna reported. The court also ruled to confiscate three smartphones from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 31, a judge in Bras\u0142a\u016d, Viciebsk region, jailed trucker D\u017amitryj \u017darski for 10 days on similar charges, the Viciebsk branch of Viasna said. He did not attend the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Businessman Piotr Staracitara\u016d from Mazyr, Homiel region, was given five years in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jailed Vasil Dzemidovi\u010d, 71, will go on a new trial in Nia\u015bvi\u017e, Minsk region, on August 23 over online comments in a Telegram channel deemed extremist in Belarus, Viasna reported. Earlier, authorities sentenced him to seven years in prison on charges of insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, public officials and judges. The KGB also blacklisted him as a “person involved in terrorist activities.” The designation is tantamount to a complete ban on financial transactions, including cash transfers to prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Brest judge sentenced Vital Bur\u010de\u016dski to two years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility and fined him 1,850 rubels (about $590), the Viciebsk branch of Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On September 5, a judge in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, will decide on the transfer of jailed Jahor Lankievi\u010d from a penal colony to a closed prison, Viasna reported. He is currently serving a five-and-a-half-year term for his role in post-election protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Authorities blacklisted Khvatit boyatsa! <\/em>(Eng: Stop being afraid!), a video project by the former Belarusian radio and TV anchor, Ta\u0107ciana Martynava, as an extremist group, the interior ministry’s website said. Other blacklisted content includes Grustny Kolenka<\/em> satirical project, honor-blr Instagram page, a Belarusian Telegram sticker pack and several opposition Telegram channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 23, human rights defenders identified at least 1,489 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 23, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 22 with reports coming in of more arrests and opposition content blacklisted as extremist. Arrested and released Police arrested dentist Alaksandar Hrudnicki and his wife after their return from Lithuania, BPN reported. The reasons for the arrest and their current whereabouts are unknown. At least […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[14],"class_list":["post-2470","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 23, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 22 with reports coming in of more arrests\" \/>\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\/2470\/\" \/>\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 23, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated 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