{"id":60675,"date":"2024-01-12T12:35:13","date_gmt":"2024-01-12T09:35:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&#038;p=60675"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-110","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/60675\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>January 12, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on January 11 with new instances of harassment directed against ordinary Belarusians and jailed opposition activists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police arrested woodcarver Jura\u015b Kamandzir\u010dyk following his return to Belarus, <em>Pozirk<\/em> reported. He reportedly worked abroad and came back to Belarus to apply for a pension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A judge in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, jailed businessman D\u017amitryj Apanasovi\u010d for 10 days after police spotted an opposition logo on his Facebook account, the Viciebsk branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On December 13, Siarhiej Jakubionak in Mahilo\u016d was given two and a half years in prison for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka by liking a post in an Odnoklassniki group later branded &#8220;extremist,&#8221; MAYDAY TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ihar Kazuba\u016d went on trial in Homiel on charges of inciting hatred and insulting and slandering \u0141uka\u0161enka, Viasna said. The judge ruled to close the trial for the public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Extremist&#8221; list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The interior ministry said it blacklisted a community and a Telegram channel with 5,200 followers associated with Russian academic Andrei Suzdaltsev for alleged extremist activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The information ministry blacklisted <em>Nastoyashcheye Vremya<\/em>, a Russian TV channel and its several regional projects, including <em>Nastoyashcheye Vremya. Belarus<\/em> as extremist content, Viasna said. Other blacklisted content includes the <em>MZKT Dlya Zhizni<\/em>, <em>Situacjyna-Anality\u010dny Centr<\/em> and <em>Chestnye Uchitelya Belarusi<\/em> Telegram groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 9, the information minister has restricted access to <em>mybrest.by<\/em>, a local media outlet, for an alleged link to the Warsaw-based <em>Belsat TV<\/em> channel back in 2017, before its extremist designation, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 15, a judge in Ivacevi\u010dy, Brest region, will consider a request for the transfer of Ryhor Kastusio\u016d, serving a 10-year prison term for alleged involvement in a plot to overthrow the government, from the penal colony to prison, Viasna said. The penal colony administration placed the Belarusian Popular Front leader, who has cancer, into the internal prison for six months in November, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The administrations of penal colonies in Navapo\u0142ack and Mahilo\u016d banned USB devices and hair clippers, forcing inmates to use electric shavers without a built-in retractable blade, MAYDAY TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Authorities persecuted about 4,500 people on politically-motivated minor charges in 2023, sentencing some 2,000 to jail terms, according to Viasna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven people, including museum head Eleanora Zinkievi\u010d, were fired from the traditional culture museum in Bras\u0142a\u016d, Viciebsk region, after serving jail terms and paying fines for alleged minor offences, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of January 12, human rights defenders identified at least 1,414 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>January 12, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on January 11 with new instances of harassment directed against ordinary Belarusians and jailed opposition activists. Arrests Police arrested woodcarver Jura\u015b Kamandzir\u010dyk following his return to Belarus, Pozirk reported. He reportedly worked abroad and came back to Belarus to apply for a pension. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-60675","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=\"January 12, Pozirk. 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