{"id":55190,"date":"2023-12-13T12:24:25","date_gmt":"2023-12-13T09:24:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=55190"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-89","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/55190\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>December 13, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 12 as authorities kept punishing participants in 2020 postelection protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mahilo\u016d police arrested ex-journalist Ale\u015b Sabale\u016dski, the MAYDAY TEAM Telegram channel said. The reasons remain unknown.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Hrodna man presumably employed at a state-run company was arrested for sharing opposition content on Facebook, <em>Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Law enforcers also arrested three persons in \u010cervie\u0144, Minsk region, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Taras Via\u015bnianka is accused of sharing opposition content that authorities deem extremist. Two others are reportedly suspected of hanging out a white-red-white flag on the roof of a private house in 2020 and participating in 2020 postelection protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Searches<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Committee for State Security (KGB) ordered police to raid the homes of people who had observed the 2020 presidential election, Viasna&#8217;s human rights defenders said. Officers checked their phones and warned them of criminal prosecution for &#8220;facilitating extremist activities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police also searched the home of prominent human rights defender Leanid Sudalenka who left Belarus after serving a prison term, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Protestant priest Alaksandar Hierasimovi\u010d and his assistant Vadzim Safona\u016d from Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, were jailed for 15 days, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija said. Safona\u016d was reportedly accused of sharing opposition content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A judge in Homiel jailed student Kastu\u015b Cianiec on similar charges, the Homiel branch of Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On November 22, a judge in Minsk sentenced Ihar Kota\u016d to three years of restricted freedom in home confinement for sharing information on police movements during 2020 protests in a Telegram channel that was later labelled extremist, Viasna reported. Authorities also confiscated his smartphone. Human rights groups consider Kota\u016d a political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A judge in Brest sentenced U\u0142adzimir \u0141ukjan\u010duk to one year in prison for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka in a Telegram chat in September, the Brest branch of Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On November 23, U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Korzun, a father of two, was given two years of restricted freedom in home confinement in \u017d\u0142obin, Homiel region, Viasna reported. Authorities accused him of participating in 2020 protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the same day, a judge in Minsk sentenced accountant Julija Abado\u016dskaja to two and a half years of restricted freedom in home confinement on similar charges, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Terrorist&#8221; list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On December 11, the KGB added Michai\u0142 Babo\u0161ka, convicted of inciting hatred, to its list of people involved in &#8220;terrorist activities.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Extremist&#8221; list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities blacklisted several opposition Telegram channels and chats as opposition content, including <em>Belorusy Batumi<\/em> and <em>KOTOS: mestnoye samoupravleniye<\/em>, the information ministry said. Other blacklisted content includes a Facebook page of former presidential hopeful Valeryj Capka\u0142a and <em>belonews<\/em> social media accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On December 15, a judge in Horki, Mahilo\u016d region, will hold a hearing to transfer businessman Viktar Baru\u0161ka, sentenced to a lengthy prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated, from the penal colony to the colony\u2019s internal prison, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Supreme Court upheld the Minsk City Court&#8217;s ruling to dissolve the Protestant New Life Church, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The administration of Penal Colony No 1 in Navapo\u0142ack deprives inmates of phone calls and delays written correspondence without disclosing the reasons, MAYDAY TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of December 13, human rights defenders identified at least 1,473 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":"<p>December 13, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on December 12 as authorities kept punishing participants in 2020 postelection protests. Arrests Mahilo\u016d police arrested ex-journalist Ale\u015b Sabale\u016dski, the MAYDAY TEAM Telegram channel said. The reasons remain unknown.&nbsp; A Hrodna man presumably employed at a state-run company was arrested for sharing opposition [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-55190","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 arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"December 13, Pozirk. 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