December 5, Pozirk. At least 671 instances of politically motivated repression were documented in Belarus last month, up 83 percent from October, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.
The activists noted that in November, Alaksandar Łukašenka signed two edicts pardoning a total of 63 people convicted for political reasons.
According to Viasna, 178 people have been released on such pardons since July.
Since 2020, at least 7,615 people have been subjected to politically motivated criminal prosecution, resulting in at least 6,249 political sentences.
Viasna reported 31 political prisoners in a critical condition. Since 2020, it has documented testimonies of more than 1,850 victims of torture and other types of prohibited treatment.
The authorities deny the existence of political prisoners in Belarus, arguing that there are no “political articles” in the Criminal Code. However, they use dozens of regular articles to crack down on dissent, branding critics as extremists and terrorists.
