{"id":68853,"date":"2024-02-22T12:29:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T09:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=68853"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"political-reprisals-update-lg-employees-arrested-sentences-for-peaceful-protests","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/68853\/","title":{"rendered":"Political reprisals update: LG employees arrested, sentences for peaceful protests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

February 22, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Police arrested four employees of the Minsk office of South Korea\u2019s LG and at least two others in a crackdown on dissent that continues since the 2020 disputed presidential election, rights groups reported on February 21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Pro-government Telegram channels reported that Alaksandar Samojlavi\u010d, Andrej Mahazinnika\u016d, Nasta\u015bsia Malevi\u010d and Natalla Puha\u010dova of LG may face up to five years in prison in connection with 2020 protests and social media posts, the Viasna Human Rights Center and Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Law enforcers also arrested an unidentified man who refused to speak for a confession video and another man who admitted in a video recorded under duress to planning to \u201cdisrupt the elections\u201d by collecting data of election commissioners and \u201ctraining people for observation and further provocations at polling stations,\u201d Viasna reported citing pro-government sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials for alleged minor offenses<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Halina Karaba\u010d went on trial at the \u0160\u010du\u010dyn District Court, Hrodna region, on February 21 to answer charges of violating laws governing mass events, Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Grodno I Oblast<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A district judge in Minsk on January 18 sentenced Vital and Aksana Kara\u017eana\u016d, a married couple, to two years and six months of restricted freedom in home confinement after finding them guilty of violent disorder in connection with a 2022 peaceful demonstration, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another Minsk judge on January 26 sentenced Zinaida Kazak to four years and six months of restricted freedom in home confinement for allegedly insulting a judge, an official and the head of state and threatening violence against a police officer, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Bie\u0142adzied went on trial at the Minsk City Court on February 21 to answer charges of inciting hatred, distributing pornography and insulting the head of state. The man has already spent 45 days for allegedly possessing extremist information products. Police forced him to record a video, in which he confessed, apparently under duress, that he is a gay, Chryscianskaja Vizija reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trial of cameraman Andrej To\u0142\u010dyn will open at the Homiel Regional Court on March 5. He is accused of facilitating extremism, slandering the head of state and discrediting Belarus, the Homiel branch of Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funeral for Ihar Lednik, an opposition politician who has died in prison, is to be held in Barysa\u016d, Minsk region, from 8 a.m. to noon on February 22, the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) announced. On February 21, rights groups had information on 1,422 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\n\n\n

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Homiel journalist Andrej To\u0142\u010dyn arrested \u2013 rights group<\/h3>\n
September 27,\u00a0Pozirk.\u00a0Homiel journalist and cameraman Andrej To\u0142\u010dyn will spend three days in custody after being arrested for unclear reasons, according to Viasna Homiel, a human rights group. Police are allowed to detain people for 72 hours for alleged minor offenses. …<\/div>\n \n