{"id":80081,"date":"2024-04-16T11:58:46","date_gmt":"2024-04-16T08:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/80081\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-163","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/80081\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 16, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 15 with unabated reprisals targeting participants of the 2020 postelection protests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Police arrested two brothers for participating in 2020 protests, pro-government sources said. They reportedly honked at the protesters while in a car during the rallies. One also admitted to posting government-critical comments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A woman from Dziar\u017eynsk, Minsk region, is under arrest for posting comments about police officers, according to pro-government sources. The charges against her remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valancina \u017duko\u016dskaja was arrested in Brest for participating in protests for the second time, pro-government sources said. She had already served 18 months of restricted freedom in home confinement on similar charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On April 11, Judge Ina Pa\u016d\u0142o\u016dskaja in Baranavi\u010dy, Brest region, sentenced nine locals to prison terms of one year to 18 months on protest-related charges, the Brest branch of the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiodar \u0160vieda\u016d, known as an intellectual game show participant, went on trial on Hrodna on charges of financing extremism for donating money to opposition initiatives, the SB.Belarus Segodnya<\/em> newspaper reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anatol Kirej\u010dyk, 74, from Chojniki, Homiel region, will go on trial on April 18, the Homiel branch of Viasna said. Authorities persecute him for posting about 1,500 comments in opposition Telegram channels. The charges against him include slander, illegal actions with firearms and insulting officials and judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hleb Sachar is on trial in Minsk for allegedly insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, calling for sanctions, inciting hatred and being a member of an extremist group, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Dzianis Nosa\u016d, a journalist with the private weekly Vecherniy Bobruisk<\/em> based in Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, is serving a 15-day jail sentence for sharing opposition content, Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vital Filinski, founder and head of the Homiel-based FilTV private advertising company, was sentenced to two 15-day jail terms for sharing opposition content, Flagshtok<\/em> reported. His deputy Andrej Vinnika\u016d went missing on April 1. Police and volunteers have been looking for him for two weeks already.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siarhiej Cimafieje\u016d and Aleh \u010caban were tried in Hrodna for sharing opposition content, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said. The verdicts remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian investigators filed charges of tax evasion and discrediting the state against businessman U\u0142adzimir Zachara\u016d under special proceedings that target those living abroad and evading contact with investigators, the Investigative Committee said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Operational and Analytical Center (OAC), a Belarusian agency in charge of information security that manages the country-code top-level domain, revoked at least nine domain names, targeting the outlawed Movement for Freedom, symbal.by merchandise store and several independent media outlets, Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jailed opposition activist Maryja Kale\u015bnikava has been harassed by two inmates at Homiel’s penal colony, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported, citing former political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pneumonia cases are on the rise at Penal Colony No 2 in Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, with several inmates hospitalized in a local hospital, MAYDAY TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 16, human rights defenders identified at least 1,385 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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