{"id":89444,"date":"2024-06-07T11:52:29","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T08:52:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/89444\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-target-dissenters-for-insulting-lukasenka","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/89444\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals target dissenters for insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 7, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>On June 6, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported at least two convictions of Belarusians of insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka in connection with critical social media posts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior Ta\u0107ciana \u010cekiel was given two years of restricted freedom in home confinement on this charge. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Siarhiej Hnia\u016dko will serve a cumulative prison term of four and a half years after being tried twice for allegedly insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also continued harassing participants in 2020 postelection protests. Vasil \u0141o\u015b, logistics head at a state-run company, was given two and a half years of restricted freedom in home confinement for participating in a protest rally and obstructing traffic, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A pro-government source reported the arrest of a man who admitted under duress to participating in protests four years ago, signing up for the opposition Pieramoha (Victory) Plan and sending information about Russian equipment movements in 2022 to opposition Telegram channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A man was jailed for 15 days in Or\u0161a, Viciebsk region, for allegedly sharing opposition content and \u201cNazi symbols,\u201d another pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT specialist Anatol Va\u0142od\u017aka went on trial in Minsk on charges of financing extremism and terrorism in connection with donations to opposition solidarity groups, Viasna said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He may have refused to pay a ransom to authorities that require the so-called \u201ccompensation\u201d of donations to discourage support of the opposition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rico Krieger, presumably a German national, went on trial in Minsk, Pozirk<\/em> reported. Charges against him include spying, terrorism, mercenarism and other serious crimes. He risks a lengthy prison term or even the death penalty for terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Investigative Committee said it opened a criminal case against Andrej Pry\u0142ucki, a member of the strike committee at Bie\u0142aru\u015bkalij potash giant. The man, apparently based abroad, is accused of threatening violence against police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities shut down at least 43 non-profits last month, Lawtrend reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An activist was deprived of his Belarusian citizenship for involvement in opposition activities, Andrej Stry\u017eak of the BySol foundation said on Facebook, without identifying the victim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday, rights groups branded nine more people persecuted on protest-related charges as political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of June 7, human rights defenders identified at least 1,401 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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