{"id":115166,"date":"2024-11-23T12:12:53","date_gmt":"2024-11-23T09:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/115166\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"reprisals-rights-activist-given-seven-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/115166\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: rights activist given seven years in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

November 23, Pozirk. <\/em><\/strong>Vital \u010copik, arrested in Brest in early March for attending public court hearings in criminal cases linked to the persecution of the opposition, was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of 40,000 rubels ($11,700). The Brest Regional Court found him guilty of facilitating extremism for alleged association with opposition groups, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other cases of politically-motivated persecution documented in Belarus on November 22 included the trial of D\u017amitryj Ku\u010duk, former chairman of the outlawed Belarusian Greens Party. Authorities accuse the politician of violent disorder and calling for sanctions, charges routinely used to persecute regime critics in Belarus, Pozirk<\/em> reported. If convicted, he may face up to 12 years in prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ku\u010duk has been held in custody since mid-February when he was arrested for an attempt to pay tribute to the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in front of the Russian Embassy in Minsk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

D\u017amitryj Ho\u0142ub from Hrodna was given four years in prison for participating in 2020 postelection protests and posting comments that allegedly incited hatred and insulted Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka, the state-run media reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrej Navicki was tried in Navahrudak, Hrodna region, for sharing opposition content, the Pravo Imeyut <\/em>Telegram channel said. The sentence remains unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry reported extremist content designation for Instagram pages by former Janka Kupa\u0142a Theatre actress Kry\u015bcina Droby\u0161 and former political prisoner Alaksandar Kabana\u016d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other blacklisted content includes Bavovna<\/em> and BChB Kiberotriad<\/em> on Telegram, By\u0107 belarusam<\/em> on Facebook and two Odnoklassniki accounts dedicated to Belarusian history and social-democratic movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

The interior ministry added 36 people to its extremist register, taking the total to 4,692 entries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities revealed that the information ministry\u2019s \u201charmful\u201d publications register features three history textbooks, presenting Belarus\u2019 history from the national viewpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 42 servicemen have been prosecuted in Belarus since 2020, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports. Twenty servicemen remained behind bars as of November 22.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 40 people were given a cumulative prison term of 118 on charges of abusing state symbols, Viasna noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Propaganda worker Juryj Vaskrasienski said Ala\u016dcina Hudkova, Andrej Karalo\u016d, Ilja Ta\u0142sto\u016d, Siarhiej \u010cy\u017e and Siarhiej Ilin were pardoned on November 7, Zerkalo<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups declared journalist Ihar Ilja\u0161 a political prisoner, Viasna said. The husband of imprisoned journalist Kaciaryna Andrejeva was arrested a month ago over interviews with the independent media that authorities consider extremist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of November 23, human rights defenders identified at least 1,268 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian authorities filed 7,400 politically-motivated criminal cases in the four years since the August 2020 presidential election, Viasna reported in mid-October.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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