Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

July 12, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on July 11.

Deaths

Aleś Puškin, a prominent dissident artist, died at the age of 57 at an intensive care unit “under unclear circumstances,” his wife Janina Dziemuch has said on Facebook.

Arrests

Special task police arrested Alaksandar Marhun, Aleh Abceška and at least two others in Fanipal, Minsk region, over August 2020 protests, human rights activists said.

Trials

Two days ago, a district court in Homiel sentenced  Alaksandar Tarasienka, a former monk, to two years in prison for allegedly insulting Alaksandar Łukašenka, Viasna reported.

Law enforcers rearrested opposition activist Źmicier Daškievič after he was formally freed, on suspicion of defying the penal colony administration’s orders, according to his wife Nasta Daškievič. He may face another year in prison, she said on Facebook.

A judge in Žłobin, Homiel region, sentenced Lalita Kozyrava to 18 months of restricted freedom, a type of home confinement, for participating in protests in August 2020, Viasna reported.

Police in Minsk arrested Ludmiła Słuckaja and drew a minor offense report against her two days ago, Viasna reported. She was tried the same day, but the sentence is unknown. Słuckaja had already been arrested on June 27. A district court then sentenced her to 13 days in jail for possessing “extremist” content.

Extremism lists

A district judge in Brest on July 7 declared the website of Brestsky Kuryer extremist content, according to an updated list released by the information ministry. It now also includes the Telegram channels and chat rooms Vožyk. Samizdat and Vella Fox, Viasna reported. It also includes the social media pages Hvatit Boyatsya!, Protesty v Belarusi, Onlayn-Platforma Golos, Belsat Admin, Bssf.team, SOS by, SYMPA, Moi Chashniki, and Belaruskaje Radjo Racyja.

Releases

On July 7, political prisoner Jaŭhien Hovar of the Belarusian Steel Works in Žłobin was freed from an open-type correctional facility, having served his two-and-a-half years’ sentence for public order offenses, Viasna reported.

Other incidents

The Supreme Court is to consider shutting down political parties that have failed to re-register as required by an amended law on party politics. The first case, against the Conservative Christian Party, will be heard on July 20.

Mikałaj Kazłoŭ, the jailed chairman of the United Civic Party, was hospitalized with bronchitis, Narodnaja Vola reported. His exact whereabouts are unknown.

As of July 12, human rights defenders identified at least 1,485 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.