{"id":74444,"date":"2024-03-21T11:17:44","date_gmt":"2024-03-21T08:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/74444\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-147","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/74444\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>March 21, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on March 20 as rights groups added eight more names to the list of political prisoners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arrests<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police arrested a Minsk restaurant manager for alleged participation in protests, <em>Mediazona<\/em> reported. He is known as Mikita Lavicki on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A Brest man is under arrest for writing online comments and messages in opposition Telegram channels, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trials<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sierhij Mieljaniec, Christian preacher, poet and a father of seven, was convicted for an alleged minor offense, <em>Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija<\/em> reported. Authorities did not release any further details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rights defender Alaksandar Vajcie\u0161yk from Baranavi\u010dy, Brest region, was presumably jailed on March 13 on charges of disobeying an official, the Viasna Human Rights Center said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New criminal charges<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Investigative Committee said it filed extremism-related criminal charges against more than one hundred exiled activists. The crackdown reportedly targets the opposition\u2019s people\u2019s embassies and other diaspora organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A judge in Minsk sentenced Alena Kaspiarovi\u010d to 18 months of restricted freedom in home confinement for allegedly insulting an official and fined her 2,000 rubels ($617), Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ihar Tra\u010dynski is on trial in Hrodna on charges of abusing state symbols, threatening and insulting a judge and insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, the <em>Pravo Imeyut <\/em>Telegram channel reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Extremist&#8221; list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The interior ministry branded Admietna\u015b\u0107, a shop selling patriotic merchandise, as an extremist group, according to an official register. It accused exiled Siarhiej and Volha Vieramiejenka who used to own a store with the same name in Hrodna, of links to the group. After fleeing to Poland, they opened the online shop Admietna\u015b\u0107. A week ago, the Investigative Committee filed extremism-related charges against Siarhiej. Authorities also blacklisted social media accounts linked to the store and its owners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Committee for State Security (KGB) designated the Ho\u0142as platform and the Estonian organization Fund of Belarus Friends as extremist groups. Ho\u0142as was used in 2020 to verify presidential election results. Officials later banned its online content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other instances of persecution<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Police searched the Minsk apartment of Pavie\u0142 Maryni\u010d, head of the <em>Ma\u0142anka Media<\/em> news network and founder of the Zubr (Bison) platform that monitored the 2020 presidential election, Viasna reported. Three days ago, a judge in Minsk sentenced Maryni\u010d to four years in prison without him being present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On March 22, a judge in \u0160k\u0142o\u016d, Mahilo\u016d region, will hear a case against jailed Anatol \u0141atu\u0161ka, cousin of exiled politician Pavie\u0142 \u0141atu\u0161ka, the electronic court schedule says. He is serving a six-year prison term in a politically-motivated case and may be transferred to a closed prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>D\u017amitryj Ku\u010duk, leader of the outlawed Greens party, was not released after 30 days in jail, politician Ihar Barysa\u016d said on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jailed Eduard Babaryka may be transferred to a closed prison, <em>Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported. The son of former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka is serving an eight-year prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of March 21, Siarhiej Pukita will no longer be heading the Minsk Musical Theater following a recent performance of a song in the theater that was popular during 2020 protests, <em>zerkalo,io<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In April, the prison authorities of Penal Colony No 15 in Mahilo\u016d will ban monthly parcels for inmates containing vitamins, MAYDAY.TEAM reported. The vitamins have been reportedly equated to medicines, which can be obtained only with a prescription from a prison physician.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Viktar Statkievi\u010d, the father of political prisoner Mika\u0142aj Statkievi\u010d, died on March 19 aged 97, the politician\u2019s wife Maryna Adamovi\u010d said on Facebook. Mika\u0142aj\u2019s family has been in the dark about him for 404 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New political prisoners<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rights groups declared eight more people as political prisoners, Viasna reported. Alaksandar Piskuno\u016d, Alaksandar Ja\u016dcicha\u016d, Ivan Asipovi\u010d, Jaras\u0142a\u016d Vierdy\u0161, D\u017amitryj Hut, Ja\u016dhien To\u016d\u015bcik, Alaksandar Pali\u016dka and Pavie\u0142 Kuncevi\u010d were convicted on charges ranging from calling for sanctions and insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka to inciting hatred to setting up an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As of March 21, 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":"<p>March 21, Pozirk. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on March 20 as rights groups added eight more names to the list of political prisoners. Arrests Police arrested a Minsk restaurant manager for alleged participation in protests, Mediazona reported. He is known as Mikita Lavicki on social media. A Brest man is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":49661,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-74444","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","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=\"March 21, Pozirk. 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