Fifteen more days in jail for local photographer

April 11, BPN. A court in Navapołack, Viciebsk region, has sentenced Ihar Supranionak to 15 more days in jail, a source has told BPN.

The famous photographer was arrested on March 29 outside his home and sentenced to 15 days behind bars for dissemination of “extremist” content.

On April 8, Ihar Bortnik, PhD, a staff member of Połack’s history and culture museum, was left in jail after his 10-day term for “extremist” content expired. On April 10, a court sentenced him to 13 more days, this time for violating the procedure for holding mass events.

On March 29 and 30, law enforcers arrested more than 10 residents of Połack and Navapołack, including the museum’s former director Tamara Džumantajeva and photographers Ihar Supranionak and Kirył Smalakoŭ. They were sentenced to 15 days in jail for “extremist” content.

Other employees of the museum, namely Aksana Šafran, Aksana Kozieł, Volha Filimonava, Viktoryja Babko, Nadzieja Jaźmier and Alena Chodzikava, were also arrested. Some of them were forced to part with their equipment and freed only to stand trial at a later date. Preliminary reports suggest that the citizens are charged over undesirable comments and likes on social media.