Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

June 24, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on June 23 with 66 additions to the extremism register that authorities use against regime critics and protesters. 

Arrested and released

Hrodna police arrested Anton Biełavołaŭ for an online comment about police officers, a Telegram channel monitoring politically-motivated persecution in Hrodna and the Hrodna region reported.

Authorities released Andrej Sciepanienka after he had served 18 months in prison on charges of insulting Alaksandr Łukašenka.

New criminal cases

A certain Eduard (last name unknown), Kazakhstan’s national originally from Belarus, faces criminal charges in Russia for an alleged arson of railway relay cabinets in Moscow, BAZA reported. 

Jailed Aleh Jafremienka, currently serving a five-year prison term in a politically-motivated case, was charged with disobeying prison authorities, the Viasna Human Rights Center said. Earlier, he had been given an additional year in prison on a similar charge.

Trials

A judge in Lozna, Viciebsk region, sentenced a local man to 15 days in jail for sharing opposition content and allegedly disobeying police orders.

Criminal proceedings

Prosecutors forwarded the case against journalist Łarysa Ščyrakova to court, the Prosecutor General’s Office said. She is accused of discrediting Belarus and facilitating extremism for collecting and storing information for Viasna and Poland-based Belsat TV channel.

Authorities sentenced former prosecutor Natalla Łašč to six years in prison on charges of inciting hatred and illegally collecting and sharing personal data, Viasna reported.

A court on Hrodna sentenced Iryna Savašynskaja and Alaksiej Paŭlenka to restricted freedom terms of two years and 18 months, respectively, Sudy, Zaderzhaniya. Hrodna i Oblast Telegram channel reported. Savašynskaja will serve her sentence in home confinement, Paŭlenka, in an open-type correctional facility.

Detention conditions

Jailed linguist Natalla Dulina was transferred to a women’s penal colony in Homiel on June 20, Viasna said. The activist is currently serving a three-and-a-half-year prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated.

Other instances of persecution

Polish minority activist Anžalika Arechva was denied foreign travel, she wrote on Facebook. In 2022, authorities persecuted her for sharing opposition content.

Authorities claim that the health of jailed former presidential hopeful Viktar Babaryka is “satisfactory,” his allies have said in a Telegram post. However, a knowledgeable source told BPN that Babaryka’s stroke diagnosis “can be true.”

Extremism list update

The interior ministry added 66 names to the list of “persons involved in extremist activities,” including jailed journalist Andrej Pačobut, lawyer Vital Brahiniec, and activist Pavieł Biełavus. They are currently serving lengthy prison terms in politically-motivated cases.

As of June 24, human rights defenders identified at least 1,496 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.