{"id":101204,"date":"2024-08-20T12:04:39","date_gmt":"2024-08-20T09:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/101204\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-high-profile-terrorism-trial-opens-in-minsk","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/101204\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: high-profile terrorism trial opens in Minsk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

August 20, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> New instances of politically-motivated persecution reported in Belarus from August 17 to 19 include the trial in a high-profile terrorism and high treason case that opened in Minsk on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twelve defendants are accused of attacking a Russian military aircraft at the Ma\u010duli\u0161\u010dy military airfield near Minsk last year, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. All may face lengthy prison terms if convicted, but most are not present at the trial. Ukrainian national Mykola Shve\u0107, handed over to Kyiv in June after a prisoner exchange with Ukraine, is among those tried in absentia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Special proceedings targeting those living abroad and evading contact with investigators continued in other cases, as a judge in Homiel sentenced Alina Halinskaja to two years in prison on charges of inciting hatred in connection with politically-sensitive social media posts, the Homiel branch of Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also opened the trial in absentia on extremism-related charges of Vadzim Saran\u010duko\u016d, acting chairman of the outlawed Belarusian Popular Front, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online content<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested a Minsk man for posting comments about Belarus in an online chat with Ukrainian blogger Rusha Goodbye, a pro-government source said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julija Varanovi\u010d was tried in Hrodna for sharing opposition content, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said. The sentence remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Catholic priest Pavie\u0142 Jara\u0161evi\u010d from Pru\u017eany, Brest region, was briefly detained on Monday and fined 1,200 rubels ($380) on similar charges, Chry\u015bcijanskaja Vizija reported. Authorities released the priest after seizing his smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge in Mahilo\u016d blacklisted two accounts on VKontankte and Telegram that repost popular Wikipedia articles in the Belarusian language, the information ministry said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also blacklisted the SUPCABLE clothing brand logo, Vot Tak <\/em>on Telegram, Narodniy Reporter <\/em>on VKontakte; vottaktv<\/em>, lilia_kvatsabaya<\/em>, photonegativki<\/em> and revivalbelarus<\/em> on Instagram; BelaruslnUK<\/em>, LITVANIA<\/em>, Franak Viacorka<\/em>, People’s Embassy of Belarus in Sweden<\/em>, Pavel Latushka<\/em> and United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus <\/em>on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Natalla \u017dyhar, 68, went on trial in Hrodna on charges of financing extremism in connection with donations to political prisoners, Viasna’s Brest branch said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej Stry\u017eak, co-founder of the BySol Solidarity Foundation, urged Belarusians to contact its evacuation service amid reports of increased pressure on people convicted in politically-motivated cases. Since June, the courts have held or scheduled at least 15 hearings to replace restricted freedom sentences with prison terms, according to Viasna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artist Natalla Levaja, given six years in prison over donations to opposition initiatives, is held in a detention center in Baranavi\u010dy, Brest region, pending her appeal hearing, Viasna said. Authorities convicted the woman upon her return from Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Activist Alaksandar Aranovi\u010d, serving a lengthy prison term on charges widely seen as politically motivated, may be held in a punishment cell over refusal to sign a pardon request, Strana Dlya Zhizni <\/em>reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of August 20, human rights defenders identified at least 1,367 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities have arrested about 65,000 people for political reasons in the four years since the August 2020 presidential election, Viasna reported in early August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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