{"id":77481,"date":"2024-04-04T11:31:21","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T08:31:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/77481\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-156","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/77481\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 4, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New instances of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 3 as authorities kept punishing dissenters and blacklisted another rights initiative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Police arrested an employee of the Naftan oil refinery in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, for allegedly posting comments critical of Deputy Interior Minister Mika\u0142aj Karpianko\u016d, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej Vasil\u010duk is under arrest in Va\u016dkavysk, Hrodna region, for commenting on the recent death of a traffic police officer, the Sudy. Zaderzhaniya. Gorod i Oblast<\/em> Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two women in their 20s were arrested and taken into custody in front of college students in Hrodna, Viasna said. CCTV camera recorded that on the night of April 1 they set fire to a state flag at an office building. One of the arrested is unemployed, the other is a college student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Andrej Varuje\u016d, a department head at Homielhipraziem, a state-run land management company, was tried on April 2 for sharing opposition content, the Homiel branch of Viasna said. The sentence is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On April 1, a Minsk judge sentenced Alaksandar Vierasovi\u010d to six years in high-security prison on charges of financing extremist activities and participating in an armed conflict abroad, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natalla H\u0142yzava was given three years of restricted freedom in home confinement in Minsk on March 6 on protest-related charges, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mikita Dzianis went on trial in Svis\u0142a\u010d, Hrodna region, on April 2 for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, the Sudy. Zaderzhaniya. Gorod i Oblast <\/em>Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ihar \u010carnavusa\u016d, whom human rights groups consider a political prisoner, will go on a new trial in Homiel on April 10, Homiel’s branch of Viasna said. Authorities accuse him of inciting hatred and slandering \u0141uka\u0161enka. In early January, \u010carnavusa\u016d had been tried on extremism-related charges, but the verdict has not been made public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Extremist” list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 2, the interior ministry branded a group of people who set up, ran and supported the Politzek.me<\/em> online human rights initiative as an extremist group, its website said.\u00a0 Authorities identified former theater producer Ina Kavalonak as the group\u2019s coordinator and added the website, social media and email associated with the initiative to the extremist group designation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 4, human rights defenders identified at least 1,388 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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