{"id":103322,"date":"2024-09-04T11:38:59","date_gmt":"2024-09-04T08:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/103322\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-authorities-keep-punishing-2020-protesters","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/103322\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: authorities keep punishing 2020 protesters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

September 4, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Belarusian authorities keep cracking down on critics, with at least 33 people scheduled to go on trial across Belarus this week on protest-related charges, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police arrested a married couple in Kobryn, Brest region, for alleged participation in 2020 postelection protests, the Investigative Committee said. Investigators accused them of obscene behavior. A pro-government source also reported the arrest of a Brest man on similar charges. His wife is reportedly pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dyjana Bur\u0161tyka, a bar manager and a mother of three, was arrested in the Brest region on extremism-related charges, Na\u0161a Niva<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Russian researcher, arrested in Minsk, admitted in a police video to following Belarusian opposition Telegram channels, participating in protest rallies in front of the Belarusian embassy in Moscow and protesting against the war in Ukraine, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

A Homiel man is accused of sharing opposition content for following a satirical social media page, Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least eight people, including cardiologist Volha Vasilonak, trucker Dzianis Ancen, motorcycle racer D\u017amitryj Rad\u017ako\u016d and Naftan employee U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Ka\u0142tuno\u016d, were tried on Monday in the Viciebsk region on charges of sharing opposition content, Viasna\u2019s Viciebsk branch said. The sentences remain unknown. Natalla Autu\u0161ka and photographer Iosif Capielik, 72, were scheduled to stand trial on similar charges on September 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities branded the Bielaruskamounyja<\/em> chat on Telegram as extremist content. Other blacklisted pages include politikan_n<\/em>, mirekly, belarus0.1<\/em>, godnanews<\/em> on TikTok; Katolik_life. Neaficynaje<\/em>, DOXA<\/em>, Avtozak LIVE<\/em> on Telegram; the opposition\u2019s One Window social assistance service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Mahilo\u016d region prosecutor restricted access to the Belarusian railway community’s belzhd.info<\/em>, claiming that the website posted extremist content, the Prosecutor General’s Office said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julija Kra\u016dcova is on trial in Minsk on charges of facilitating extremism for demonstrating solidarity with political prisoners, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

On August 30, authorities added 22 names to the list of persons \u201cinvolved in extremist activity,\u201d according to the interior ministry. Judges convicted them on charges typical of politically-motivated cases. Human rights groups designated seven of them as political prisoners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prison authorities at Penal Colony No 1 in Navapo\u0142ack, Viciebsk region, destroyed inmates’ personal belongings, citing a lack of space in the warehouse, MAYDAY.TEAM reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities released Alaksiej Iljin\u010dyk after he had served two and a half years in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated, the Homiel branch of Viasna said.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of September 4, human rights defenders identified at least 1,371 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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German MP calls for doctors, family, lawyer to be allowed to Kale\u015bnikava<\/h3>\n
September 3, Pozirk. German MP Thomas Rachel (CDU) has called for the International Red Cross, family, and lawyer to be allowed to see Belarus' prisoner Maryja Kale\u015bnikava. Rachel took to Twitter (X) to exercise "parliamentary guardianship" of Kale\u015bnikava, a campaign …<\/div>\n \n