{"id":95319,"date":"2024-07-13T13:39:08","date_gmt":"2024-07-13T10:39:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/95319\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-181","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/95319\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman arrested on return to Belarus from Poland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

July 13, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>New instances of politically-motivated persecution <\/a>were documented in Belarus on July 12 as authorities continued arresting dissenters. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-government sources said a woman who administered a Belarusian community chat in Poland’s Wroc\u0142aw was arrested upon her return to Belarus. A Minsk man was arrested after telling a police agent online that he participated in 2020 postelection protests and supported Belarusian volunteers fighting Russia in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In January, police arrested Alaksandar Syryca, a prominent basketball official, on his return to Belarus, Euroradio <\/em>reported. Authorities accused him of insulting the head of state and forming an extremist group in connection with an extremist designation of a basketball chat. Syryca\u2019s wife was also arrested and jailed for an alleged minor offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trials and criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej \u0141uko\u0161ka and Ta\u0107ciana Kuziuk were tried in Navahrudak, Hrodna region, for sharing opposition content, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said. The verdicts remain unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, sentenced Eduard Babaryka, the imprisoned son of former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka, to 18 months in prison on charges of disobeying prison authorities, Belsat<\/em> TV reported. In 2020, Eduard managed his father\u2019s presidential campaign and was later given eight years in prison on what was widely regarded as trumped-up charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 10, Juryj Bandarenka from Babrujsk was given 18 months in prison for insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka in public, MAYDAY.TEAM said. The trial took place behind closed doors. The man reportedly pleaded guilty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jailed artist Ivan Viarbicki was given an additional two-year prison term for disobeying prison authorities, a charge routinely used to keep regime critics in prisons longer. His cumulative term now exceeds 12 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Extremist” and “terrorist” list updates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities branded several opposition Telegram channels as extremist content, including the Adno Akno <\/em>initiative that assists reprisal victims in Belarus, the information ministry said. The Bud\u017ama Bie\u0142arusami <\/em>YouTube channel as well as sens. belarus<\/em>, nash_minsk<\/em>, Beldurdom<\/em>, scorpion<\/em>, \u0141atu\u0161ka i ruch za Svabodu<\/em>, nil_la2<\/em>, Artyom, Veselyj<\/em>, Pravda Belarusi<\/em>, legal_initiative_belarus<\/em> and belpahonia<\/em> on TikTok are also among blacklisted pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security (KGB) added Ja\u016dhien Cihana\u016d, Ja\u016dhien K\u0142ada\u016d and Siarhiej \u0160eleh to the list of \u201cindividuals involved in terrorist activities,\u201d taking the total of entries to 1,229, its Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Vlogger Ivan Padrez, who used to work as an anchor at the state-run ONT<\/em> TV channel, said on Instagram that authorities confiscated his apartment and evicted his 78-year-old mother.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of July 13, <\/a>human rights defenders identified at least 1,403 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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Amnesty International demands unconditional release of Bialacki, others<\/h3>\n
July 12, Pozirk. Nobel Peace Prize winner Ale\u015b Bialiacki, convicted in Belarus in a politically-motivated case, must be released immediately and unconditionally, Amnesty International has said in a statement. "As we prepare to mark three years since the detention of …<\/div>\n \n