{"id":117672,"date":"2024-12-11T11:35:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-11T08:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/117672\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"reprisals-journalist-sentenced-to-prison-for-insulting-lukasenka","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/117672\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: journalist sentenced to prison for insulting \u0141uka\u0161enka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

December 11, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> The Minsk City Court has sentenced reporter Volha Radzivonava to four years in prison, the Belarusian Association of Journalists said yesterday. The judge found her guilty of inciting hatred, libeling and insulting the head of state and discrediting Belarus. In October, human rights defenders declared Radzivonava a political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate development, the Partyzanski District Court in Minsk sentenced musician Ivan Vabi\u0161\u010devi\u010d (stage name Dziadzia Vania) to 2.5 years of restricted freedom, a type of home confinement. He was found guilty of violent disorder, state media<\/em> reported. The musician was arrested in November and charged with protesting in August 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Brest Regional Court began the re-trial of exiled art manager Alaksandar \u010cacho\u016dski, a defendant in the Rudabielskaja Pakazucha case, Viasna reported. Earlier this year, \u010cacho\u016dski was sentenced to three months in jail for allegedly insulting an official and desecrating state symbols. However, the Supreme Court overturned the sentence and ordered a re-trial. Last year, the Belarusian interior ministry declared the Rudabelskaja Pakazucha YouTube channel an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Investigative Committee<\/em> said it had opened cases against several Belarusian volunteers fighting in Ukraine. It accused Kastu\u015b Kalino\u016dski Regiment fighters Arciom Bihiel, Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d Hrano\u016dski, Jan Mielnika\u016d, Ihnat Kireje\u016d and former paramedic Anastasija Machomiet of terrorism and other crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Lida District Court in the Hrodna region heard a case against Ina Py\u017ejanava, Pravo Imeyut<\/em> reported. She was charged with circulating extremist content. The verdict is unknown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five people went on trial in the Viciebsk region for alleged minor offenses. \u0179micier Bela\u0161o\u016d, Lila Sudarkova and Natalla Starykava were tried in Or\u0161a. Alaksiej Draby\u0161e\u016dski and Andrej Hil, in the Lepel district. The verdicts are unknown, Viciebsk, Ya Gulyayu!<\/em> reported<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Kastry\u010dnicki District Court in Hrodna considered sending a retired lieutenant colonel of justice, Jula Ko\u0142as, to a correctional facility. The ruling is unknown, Pravo Imeyut<\/em> reported. Earlier, Ko\u0142as was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom for insulting an official, a charge denounced by human rights groups as politically motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities in Mahilo\u016d are visiting the homes of locals who fled the country and interviewing their relatives, Mayday.Team reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An 18-year-old girl was arrested for a TikTok video, in which she called a police officer “ment” (a cop), a pro-government source reported. She was charged with an unspecified minor offense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, officers searched the Minsk office of the AdPlanes advertising agency. They checked employees’ mobile phones for subscriptions to opposition media, Viasna reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the information ministry recognized the Instagram pages baj.media.b\u0443<\/em>, starye_dorogi_life<\/em>, liauchuk<\/em>, jan_de_rudione <\/em>and thewesternbattalion<\/em>, as well as several Telegram channels, TikTok accounts and other pages, as extremist content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 640 days, there has been no news from Siarhiej Cichano\u016dski, a jailed presidential hopeful, \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja said on Telegram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of December 11, human rights defenders identified at least 1,283 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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