{"id":846,"date":"2023-08-31T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T08:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/?post_type=articles&p=846"},"modified":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T20:10:49","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/846\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 31, BPN<\/em>. <\/strong>New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 30 with more dissenters arrested and lengthy sentences passed in absentia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Police arrested another employee of Bie\u0142hipraziem, a state-run land management company, a pro-government Telegram channel said. The arrested was reportedly “observing the protests.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An alleged soccer fan is under arrest in Minsk over a tattoo, a pro-governmental Telegram channel reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police also arrested a ranger from Svis\u0142a\u010d, Hrodna region, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region reported. Investigators say he wrote over 4,000 online comments allegedly insulting police officials and Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jahor Marcinovi\u010d, former editor in chief of Na\u0161a Niva<\/em>, confirmed on Facebook that he was released from prison. On August 18, authorities also released Andrej Skurko, a former senior executive at Na\u0161a Niva<\/em>. Both journalists had served two and a half years in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On August 17, a judge in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, jailed a local man for 15 days over a picture featuring the flags of Georgia and Ukraine that he posted on Instagram in 2021, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vitold \u0160alkievi\u010d was tried in the Hrodna region for sharing opposition content, the Sudy i Zaderzhaniya, Grodno i Oblast<\/em> Telegram channel said. Authorities have not disclosed the outcome of the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Brest fined Hanna Kalackaja for allegedly disobeying an official, the Brest branch of Viasna said. Her son, Cichan Kluka\u010d, is a former political prisoner currently fighting Russia in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Raha\u010do\u016d, Homiel region, journalist Dzianis Da\u0161kievi\u010d was fined 740 rubels ($230) for sharing opposition content, the Flagshtok-Homiel\u0161\u010dyna<\/em> Telegram channel said. He is currently based abroad and the trial was held without him being present. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal by jailed journalist Ja\u016dhien Mierkis, sentenced to four years in prison on extremism-related charges, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Minsk City Court has sentenced Vadzim Baha\u016dko\u016d and Maksim Zuje\u016d to 10 years, and Alaksandar Naprejenka and Siarhiej Rabu\u0161ka to eight years without the defendants being present, Viasna said. Authorities accused them of assaulting Belarusian embassy staff in London in December 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Extremist content update<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities blacklisted several opposition social media accounts as extremist content the information ministry’s website says. Local Telegram channels and chats and the New Life Church’s website and Instagram account feature among new additions to the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detention conditions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities transferred Aleh Rubiec, sentenced to five and a half years in prison over protests, to a punishment cell for two months, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Jailed opposition activist Palina \u0160arenda-Panasiuk ended the hunger strike that she declared a week ago in protest against conditions at the temporary detention center in Re\u010dyca, Homiel region, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the fourth year in a row, Belarus ranked last in the region in the Index on Torture compiled by the Civic Solidarity Platform rights group, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 31, human rights defenders identified at least 1,496 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":"

August 31, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 30 with more dissenters arrested and lengthy sentences passed in absentia. Arrested and released Police arrested another employee of Bie\u0142hipraziem, a state-run land management company, a pro-government Telegram channel said. The arrested was reportedly “observing the protests.” An alleged soccer fan is under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[14],"class_list":["post-846","articles","type-articles","status-publish","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUpdate on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"August 31, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on August 30 with more dissenters arrested and lengthy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/846\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk\" \/>\n<meta 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