{"id":78030,"date":"2024-04-06T12:04:48","date_gmt":"2024-04-06T09:04:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/78030\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-158","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/78030\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 6, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 5 as authorities started to harass Belarusians who support political prisoners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Police arrested Natalla Malec from Brest on charges of promoting extremism for transferring about 1,500 rubels ($460) to 114 persons held behind bars for extremism-related crimes, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. The woman may face up to six years in prison if convicted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An underage first-year Minsk university student is under arrest for xenophobic statements, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-government sources also reported the arrest of a Brest man accused of participating in protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities released Vital and Jahor <\/strong>Prakap\u010duk after both had served four-year prison terms on protest-related charges, dissidentby<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eduard Kudyniuk and Alaksandar Viniarski from Brest were also released after serving three years in prison on similar charges, the Brest branch of Viasna said. Both were minors at the time of their arrest in May 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A man serving a restricted freedom term for allegedly slandering Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka was given 15 days in jail for signing up to an opposition chat on social media, a pro-government Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Christian preacher Sierhij Mieljaniec was sentenced to 12 days in jail after serving a 13-day term, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Authorities arrested Pavie\u0142 \u010curkin on suspicion of cooperating with Ukrainian intelligence and charged him with high treason, Belarus 4 Mahilo\u016d<\/em> TV channel reported. Earlier, he had served one year in prison for allegedly insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka, a charge that rights groups considered politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Fiodar \u0160vieda\u016d, known as an intellectual game show participant, will go on trial in Hrodna on April 15 on extremism-related charges, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Extremist” list update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities branded social media of the ByMetal music project as extremist content, the information ministry’s website says. Other blacklisted content includes Ivan Moncik’s Facebook page, social media of Lachvi\u010d<\/em> and Tutej\u0161y \u0160lachcic<\/em> projects as well as ususal_morningg<\/em> and shkola_videoblogera<\/em> on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The interior ministry added 28 more names to the list of “persons involved in extremist activities,” taking the total of entries to 3,960, its website said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 6, human rights defenders identified at least 1,396 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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