{"id":45147,"date":"2022-12-31T15:25:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-31T12:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/articles\/update-on-trials-and-politically-motivated-persecution\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"update-on-trials-and-politically-motivated-persecution","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/45147\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on trials and politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>December 31, <span>BPN.<\/span><\/b> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 30.<\/p>\n<p> Arrests<\/p>\n<p> Law enforcers in Mahiliou arrested art college student D\u017amitryj Silin, the Viasna Human Rights Center said. Early reports suggest that subscription to \u201cextremist\u201d Telegram channels and registration for the opposition\u2019s \u201cvictory plan\u201d might have been the cause of the arrest.<\/p>\n<p> Trials<\/p>\n<p> The Minsk City Court sentenced to four years in prison a 44-year-old Latvian national, Dmitrijs Mihailovs, charged with calling for sanctions on Belarus, inciting hatred, insulting a public official and offending Alaksandr \u0141uka\u0161enka with his social media posts, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n<p> A district court in Minsk sentenced a 33-year-old local resident, Alaksandr Dzierbinski, to 18 months of restricted freedom, a type of home confinement. It found the man guilty of protesting in 2020, Viasna said.<\/p>\n<p> A district court in Minsk gave a guilty verdict to spouses Siarhiej Kudrycki and Marharyta Kudryckaja, arrested for participation in 2020 protests. It sentenced the husband to two years in prison for drug trafficking. The wife was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom for organization of\/active participation in group actions grossly disturbing public order, Viasna said.<\/p>\n<p> A district court in Minsk sentenced political prisoner Volha Ramancova to two years of restricted freedom, Viasna reported. It also fined her 5,000 rubels (some $1,800). Ramancova was accused of insulting a judge with a comment on the Telegram messaging app.<\/p>\n<p> The Bierazino District Court, Minsk region, sentenced local resident Piotr Piatru\u0161a to six months\u2019 deprivation of liberty for desecration of buildings and damage to property. Viasna said the case was opened for 11 drawings of the opposition\u2019s white-red-white flag on public transport stops, power line poles and other facilities in Minsk.<\/p>\n<p> The Prosecutor General\u2019s Office said it referred the case against the <span>Nexta<\/span> media project founder, \u015aciapan Puci\u0142a, and members of his team Jan Rudzik and Raman Pratasievi\u010d to court. They are accused of creating an extremist group, organizing mass riots, calling for seizure of power and other crimes that can be punished with long prison sentences. Citing state interests, the prosecutors also demanded that the accused should pay 30 million rubels (some $11 million) for property damage. They said that Pratasievi\u010d remains under house arrest in Belarus, and that EU-based Puci\u0142a and Rudzik would be tried in absentia.<\/p>\n<p> Prosecutors referred the case against D\u017amitryj \u015aciapana\u016d, a 38-year-old resident of Brest, to court, accusing him of moderating Telegram chat <span>GOBK<\/span>, deemed extremist by the authorities, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n<p> A judge sentenced Viciebsk art manager U\u0142adzimir Bu\u0142a\u016dski, arrested on December 14, to 15 days in jail. Viasna Viciebsk reported that he would be released on January 1. Early reports indicate that he went on trial for disseminating \u201cextremist\u201d content.<\/p>\n<p> \u201cExtremist lists\u201d<\/p>\n<p> The interior ministry added another 29 people to the list of \u201cpersons involved in extremist activities.\u201d The updated list includes political prisoners, such as opposition politician Pavie\u0142 \u0141atu\u0161ka\u2019s cousin Anatol \u0141atu\u0161ka, as well as Alena Malino\u016dskaja and Lilija Ananian. The updated list includes 2,263 names.<\/p>\n<p> \u201cExtremist content\u201d<\/p>\n<p> A district court in Homiel recognized the content of online magazine <span>KYKY<\/span> as \u201cextremist.\u201d This includes the website, social media and a Patreon page. In addition, it banned any visuals associated with the <span>KYKY<\/span> brand.<\/p>\n<p> The state also recognized as \u201cextremist content\u201d Telegram channel <span>Miensk 97 Percent<\/span>, VK group <span>Svobodny Zhlobin | Free Zhlobin<\/span>, and the book \u201cInterpretation of the Last 10 Ajz\u0101 of the Noble Quran,\u201d Viasna reported.<\/p>\n<p> Other news<\/p>\n<p> The licenses of nine lawyers have been revoked, the justice ministry reported. They are: Andrej Kamisara\u016d; Andrej Nieviado\u016dski; Jahor Papko\u016dski; Maryja Davyd\u010dyk; Siarhiej Kosma\u010d; Halina Mamo\u0144ka; Viktar Mackievi\u010d; U\u0142adzimir Pyl\u010danka; U\u0142adzimir Jahadzinski. There\u2019s one more lawyer, Alaksandr \u010cyrva, who\u2019s license would be terminated on January 11, 2023. Pyl\u010danka and Mackievi\u010d defended regime critics.<\/p>\n<p> Law enforcers placed European Belarus campaigner Palina \u0160arenda-Panasiuk, serving a prison sentence in Zare\u010d\u010da, Re\u010dyca district, Homiel region, in a punitive cell for 10 days. Before that, the political prisoner had been kept in a special housing unit (PKT) for more than two months. In October, a new case was opened against 47-year-old \u0160arenda-Panasiuk for defying prison administration orders, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n<p> Law enforcers placed anarchist activist Mikita Jemialjana\u016d, 22, in a punishment cell. The political prisoner is doing time in Va\u016dkavysk, Hrodna region, Telegram channel <span>Basta<\/span> wrote.<\/p>\n<p> Political prisoner Anita Bakunovi\u010d, 19, was transferred to Hrodna\u2019s Prison No. 1, Viasna reported. She was previously held in a KGB detention facility in Minsk. In June, the Minsk resident was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom. On September 21, she was arrested while trying to cross into Lithuania.<\/p>\n<p>As of December 31, human rights defenders identified at least 1,451 political prisoners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>December 31, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 30. Arrests Law enforcers in Mahiliou arrested art college student D\u017amitryj Silin, the Viasna Human Rights Center said. Early reports suggest that subscription to \u201cextremist\u201d Telegram channels and registration for the opposition\u2019s \u201cvictory plan\u201d might have been the cause of the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-45147","articles","type-articles","status-publish","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>Update on trials and politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"December 31, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 30. 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