{"id":81044,"date":"2024-04-20T08:16:43","date_gmt":"2024-04-20T05:16:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/81044\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-167","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/81044\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 20, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> New instances of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

An engineer was detained for publishing his poems on Instagram, a pro-government source reported. In a video, he said the poems included “negative content.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 22-year-old woman was detained in Fanipal, Minsk region, for participating in a protest in 2020, the Investigative Committee reported. She is charged under Article 342 of the Criminal Code (organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order or active participation in such actions).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Homiel region, law enforcers detained at least four people for subscribing to “extremist” media. They included U\u0142adzimir Ku\u017ami\u010d and Andrej Pietra\u0161enka, according to a pro-governmen source and Mediazona<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The U\u0161a\u010dy District Court in the Viciebsk region fined local resident Alesia Revutava 1,200 rubels (over $360) for subscribing to “extremist” pages on the Internet, Viasna Viciebsk reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fiodar \u0160vieda\u016d, a 48-year-old What? Where? When? player, was sentenced to 3.5 years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional institution, Viasna reported. The man was convicted of financing extremist activities for donating to opposition foundations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Viciebsk District Court sentenced Siarhiej Mielnika\u016d, from the \u0141u\u017easna village, to 11 months in prison for allegedly insulting the head of state in a post on the Odnoklassniki social network, Viasna Viciebsk reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 7, a district court in Minsk sentenced Vadzim Asajonak to 2.5 years of restricted freedom in home confinement, Viasna reported. Police identified him as a protester using videos found on his laptop during a search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 23, Ksienija Turub\u010duk and D\u017amitryj Mira\u0161ni\u010denka will be tried in Brest over a round-dance protest, Viasna Brest reported. The round-dance protest against election fraud took place on September 13, 2020, and has led to at least 130 convictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 18, the Investigative Committee opened a special procedure case against 44-year-old Juryj Ka\u010dura. He is charged with incitement to hatred and insulting an official, the committee said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremism lists<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities added 22 names to the list of persons “involved in extremist activities.” According to the interior ministry, the list contains 3,997 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities added over a dozen items to the list of “extremist content,” including the books “Day M” and “Icebreaker” by Soviet defector Viktor Suvorov, according to the information ministry. Other notable additions are the Odnoklassniki pages of Dzianis Saka\u0142o\u016dski, Alaksiej Subatovi\u010d, Na\u0161 Dom and Volha Kara\u010d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other incidents<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On April 12, a judge ruled to send Mothers-328 activist Maryna Kisialevi\u010d to a penal colony for 10 months, Viasna reported. In May 2022, a district court in Minsk sentenced her to four years of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility for allegedly defaming the head of state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ihar Alinievi\u010d, sentenced to 20 years in a medium-security penal colony, was recently placed in a punishment cell, Pravo na Vosstaniye<\/em> reported. The reason and the period are unknown. He is serving his sentence at \u017dodzina’s Prison No. 8 in the Minsk region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Human rights groups declared<\/a> 11 more people to be political prisoners. They are: Alaksandar Vierasovi\u010d, Viktar Sa\u010dko\u016dski, Alaksandar Ciare\u0161\u010danka, Ja\u016dhien Filipovi\u010d, Siarhiej \u0160eleh, Kanstancin \u0160asto\u016d, Siarhiej Zabieli\u010d, Darja Chmialnickaja, Vital \u010copik, Fiodar \u0160vieda\u016d and Artur Roli\u010d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of April 20, 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

\n\n
\n \"\"
\n

Human rights activists label 11 as political prisoners<\/h3>\n
April 19, Pozirk. Eleven more people have been declared political prisoners, according to a joint statement distributed by Belarusian human rights organizations today. They granted this status to Alaksandar Vierasovi\u010d, Viktar Sa\u010dko\u016dski, Alaksandar Ciare\u0161\u010danka, Ja\u016dhien Filipovi\u010d, Siarhiej \u0160eleh, Kanstancin \u0160asto\u016d, …<\/div>\n \n