{"id":70573,"date":"2024-03-01T12:11:07","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T09:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/70573\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-137","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/70573\/","title":{"rendered":"Political reprisals: new crackdown on lawyers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

March 1, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on February 29 with a new crackdown on lawyers making headlines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arrested and released<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On February 28, Committee for State Security (KGB) officers arrested at least 12 lawyers in Minsk, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. Most of them were released, but at least two remain in custody. No further details are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hrodna police arrested two men for participating in 2020 postelection protests, sharing opposition content and criticizing authorities in online comments, a pro-government Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sales manager is under arrest for participating in protests and signing up for the opposition Pieramoha Plan, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A married couple was arrested in Fanipal, Minsk region, for allegedly participating in protests, a pro-government Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities released Anatol Pry\u0161\u010dyk, 71, after he had served 15 days in jail for reacting to an Odnoklassniki post about Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, the Brest branch of Viasna said. He was not allowed to take walks and showers in custody and was deprived of personal hygiene items and parcels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On February 20, a judge in Hrodna sentenced a local man to 10 days in jail for laying flowers at the Russian Consulate General to commemorate the late Russian politician Aleksei Navalny, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian courts tried at least 100 people since the start of February for allegedly \u201cusing foreign aid to conduct extremist activities,\u201d Viasna reported. Security forces raided, interrogated or arrested at least 287 people, most of them women, over grocery deliveries organized by the IneedHelpBY initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Jailed Alaksandar Zijazietdzina\u016d went on a new trial in Minsk on charges of financing extremism and terrorism, Viasna said. He may face up to 15 years in prison, if convicted. In 2022, he was given three years in prison for donations to the ByPol resistance group. After the first arrest, security agents forced him to exchange 32 bitcoins and donate around $800,000 to Belarusian healthcare establishment, By_Help reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u017amitryj \u0160\u010derbin, a former employee of the Belarusian Steel Works, was convicted of inciting hatred, Viasna’s Homiel branch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Minsk sentenced truck driver Andrej Burak to five years in prison on charges of hooliganism and participating in activities of an extremist group, Viasna reported. Prosecutors accused him of detonating a pyrotechnic-based device near a military transport convoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Extremist” list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities branded 10 Million Slaves<\/em>, a protest song by the exiled punk band Day Dorogu, as “extremist” content, the information ministry said. Other blacklisted content includes Radio Liberty<\/em>\u2019s mobile app, the website and social media of Belarusians in America and the Pravavaja Inicyjatyva nonprofit as well as some opposition social media pages, among them the Telegram account of Belarusians in Estonia, libertas_belarus on Instagram, and Obychnoe Utro journalist project on TikTok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Minsk prosecutors said bookstores kept selling several history books branded “extremist,” Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New political prisoners<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian human rights groups declared eight people political prisoners, including Vasil Palako\u016d, a former leader of the United Civic Party, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 1, human rights defenders identified at least 1,410 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

\n\n
\n \"\"