{"id":61218,"date":"2024-01-16T11:46:57","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T08:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=61218"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-112","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/61218\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

January 16, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus from January 13 to 15 as authorities kept harassing dissenters and participants of 2020 postelection protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested Alaksandar Maziec after his return from Poland, accusing him of sharing opposition content and participating in 2020 protests, the Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Grodno i Oblast Telegram channel reported. The native of Va\u016dkavysk, Hrodna region, had been living abroad since 2009 and obtained a Polish residence permit in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Former Mahilo\u016d journalist and cameraman Ja\u016dhien H\u0142u\u0161ko\u016d was placed into a pre-trial detention center following his arrest in early January, Mediazona<\/em> reported. The charges against him remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested at least four workers of the meat processing facility in Motal, Brest region, the Brest branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A woman whose name is not disclosed is under arrest for participating in a 2020 protest rally with her underage daughter, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

In December, Alaksandar La\u0161ko\u016d, an employee of the Naftan oil refinery in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, was given two consecutive jail terms of 15 and 14 days for sharing opposition content, the Viciebsk branch of Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, judges in the Viciebsk region, fined Ludmi\u0142a Kapusta, deputy head of a college in Vidzy, 925 rubels (about $290); electrician Siarhiej Kudra\u016dca\u016d, 2,960 rubels ($940), Viasna’s Viciebsk branch said. Both were accused of sharing opposition content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New criminal charges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities filed extremism-related charges against journalist Ale\u015b Sabale\u016dski who is now held at Mahilo\u016d\u2019s Prison No 4 after serving two short jail terms for alleged minor offences, MAYDAY.TEAM said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Halina Krasnianskaja, a 67-year-old Belarusian community activist from Sweden, was sentenced in Minsk to five years in prison, the Sveriges Belarusier<\/em> Telegram channel said. The judge found her guilty of participating in an armed conflict abroad for alleged donations to Belarusian volunteers fighting alongside the Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On December 13, a judge in Mahilo\u016d sentenced Siarhiej Jakubienka to two and a half years in prison for online reactions that allegedly insulted and slandered Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, MAYDAY.TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mika\u0142aj Cha\u0142aje\u016d from Minsk was given two and a half years of restricted freedom in home confinement; Mikita Ma\u0161uta from Hrodna, two years for participating in 2020 protests, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pavie\u0142 Kabierda went on trial in Hrodna on charges of financing extremist activities, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vadzim Chra\u015bko died of pneumonia in the early hours of January 9 and was buried three days later in Minsk, Viasna reported. In early August, judge Siarhiej Chrypa\u010d sentenced him to three years in prison for several donations to opposition initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of January 16, human rights defenders identified at least 1,411 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":"

January 16, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus from January 13 to 15 as authorities kept harassing dissenters and participants of 2020 postelection protests. Arrests Police arrested Alaksandar Maziec after his return from Poland, accusing him of sharing opposition content and participating in 2020 protests, the Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Grodno i Oblast […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[14],"class_list":["post-61218","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=\"January 16, Pozirk. 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