Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution

July 20, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on July 19.

Arrests

Law enforcers in Hrodna arrested worker Vital Svadkoŭski for liking protest content on the Odnoklassniki social network in 2020, Viasna said.

Trials

The Minsk Regional Court sentenced Mikita Bruj, a teenage member of Sajuz Biełaruskaha Nacyjanalnaha Ščyta (the Belarusian National Shield Union), to three years in a colony, finding him guilty of membership in an extremist group and justification of Nazism, Viasna said. Bruj is a descendant of the great Belarusian poet Jakub Kołas.

A district court in Minsk opened a trial for photographer and writer Źmicier Bajarovič and his wife Valeryja, Viasna reported. They are charged with public order offenses. Western diplomats gathered outside the courthouse in solidarity with the political prisoners.

A district court in Minsk opened a trial for Mikita Najdzionaŭ, a musician and political prisoner, Viasna said. He is accused of participating in post-election protests.

Other incidents

Human rights activists reported that political prisoner Palina Šarenda-Panasiuk was beaten last month. Her cellmate said she had “a broken nasal bridge and two black eyes” when in detention on Vaładarskaha Street in Minsk, according to Viasna.

Law enforcers forced Siarhiej, a resident of Kamianiec in the Brest region, to remove tattoos with the abbreviation ACAB and the Pahonia coat of arms, Viasna Brest reported.

Human rights defenders identified at least 1,479 political prisoners as of now, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.