Police raid exiled opposition activists’ homes – rights group

November 28, Pozirk. Police have raided at least six apartments in Minsk where alleged members of the opposition Coordination Council are registered as residents, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.

The raids come months before an election for the Coordination Council billed by opponents as an alternative Belarusian parliament.

Searches took place at the apartments of exiled opposition politician Pavieł Łatuška and members of the Warsaw-based National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM) that he heads.

Raids would not affect the NAM efforts to “bring representatives of [Alaksandar] Łukašenka’s regime to justice,” Łatuška has stressed on Telegram.

Police also reportedly searched the homes of exiled analyst Siarhiej Čały, politician Juryj Hubarevič, former Małady Front leader Artur Fińkievič and Hanna Krasulina, spokeswoman for opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

Authorities are persecuting activists linked to the Coordination Council on six criminal charges, including high treason, conspiracy to seize state power, calling for sanctions and extremism-related accusations, according to Viasna.

The Investigative Committee has identified more than a hundred of suspects in the Coordination Council case.

Siarhiej Kabakovič, of the Investigative Committee, said that investigators were tipped off by a former opposition member who returned to Belarus and gave them a list “of more than hundred persons, including traitors that were not known to the law enforcement agencies before.”

He added that the investigators were looking to seize their property.