Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

April 13, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on April 12.

Arrested and released

Minsk police arrested Iryna Zimnieva, head of a center for Slavic languages and cultures, over content found on her smartphone, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. The officers also raided the center, SlavCentr, seizing some equipment. The center is known for offering Polish language courses and consultation on admission to Polish universities.

Tattoo artist Illa Akišaŭ is under arrest in Minsk over 2020 protests and antiwar tattoos, a pro-government source said.

Police also arrested Regina Łavor, founder and first head of the national cultures museum in Iŭje, Hrodna region, Viasna said. She is currently serving a two-year restricted freedom term in home confinement for allegedly insulting public officials. The reasons for her new arrest remain unclear.

The Committee for State Security (KGB) agents briefly detained and interrogated a secondary school teacher in Mahiloŭ in connection with signatures collected in support of an open letter against police violence in 2020, MAYDAY.TEAM reported.

Authorities released Siarhiej Makarevič, of the Viartańnie foundation, after he had spent five months in custody, Naša Niva reported. No details about the criminal case against him are available. Sources said someone vouched for him.

Trials

Authorities have not released Arciom Labiedźka and have sentenced him to another 15 days in jail, his father, exiled opposition politician Anatol Labiedźka, wrote on Facebook.

Authorities jailed Siarhiej Zasłaŭski, a well-known pro-government activist and internal troops major, for 15 days over a social media repost from a media outlet deemed “extremist” in Belarus, Naša Niva reported.

A court in the Brest region jailed Juryj Lisiuk for seven days for the Belarusian historical coat of arms Pahonia on his cell phone cover, Viasna reported.

Criminal proceedings

The Homiel Regional Court fined Mikałaj Davydaŭ, an engineer who worked for the Homsielmaš state-run agricultural equipment company, 2,000 rubels (over $670) and sentenced him to two years in prison on charges of inciting hatred, insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka and public officials.

Other instances of persecution

The interior ministry said it has put politician Alaksandr Kabanaŭ on the wanted list. He left Belarus after he had served three years in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated. Police also raided his parents’ home but would not disclose the new charges against Kabanaŭ.

Belarus has extradited Russian national Aleksey Moskalev, Russian human rights group Russia’s OVD-Info said. On March 30, he was arrested in Minsk where he had fled from under house arrest ahead of his sentence in absentia to two years in prison over an antiwar drawing of his 13-year-old daughter.

Jailed sociology professor Juryj Bubnoŭ faces new charges of insulting Łukašenka, MAYDAY.TEAM reported. He has been in custody since January on charges of slander.

Authorities transferred Juryj Kaściuk to a prison in Orša, Viciebsk region, where he is to serve his four-year term for helping political prisoners, Viasna said.

Extremist content updates

A court in Minsk labeled the content of the privately-owned newspaper Rehijanalnaja Hazieta, based in Maładziečna, Minsk region, as extremist. Its website and Telegram channel were declared extremist in January 2022.

Alaksandr Mancevič, editor in chief, has been in custody since March 15 on charges of discrediting Belarus.

A district court in Homiel blacklisted a VKontakte community dedicated to the Deti Khrushchevok rock band, its YouTube and Instagram pages, and several political songs, BPN reported. Authorities also blacklisted the Ruch Telegram channel and bot as well as a picture of a two-barred cross (Kryž Jaryły) decorated with a sword.

As of April 13, human rights defenders listed at least 1,483 political prisoners.