{"id":182687,"date":"2026-04-08T08:10:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:10:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182687\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T08:10:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T05:10:47","slug":"human-rights-defenders-report-many-new-cases-of-politically-motivated-persecution","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/182687\/","title":{"rendered":"Human rights defenders report many new cases of politically motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

April 7, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>New trials, convictions, digital censorship, harassment of recently released political prisoners and other instances of politically motivated persecution were reported in Belarus on April 7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Civil society activist Viktar Ja\u016dmienienka was reported to have been held in a pretrial detention center for several months, apparently facing a number of criminal charges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge of the Hrodna Regional Court in late 2025 or early 2026 sentenced Hleb Ryb\u010danka, an employee of IT company Wargaming, to 14 years in prison, finding him guilty of an act of terrorism, involvement with a terrorist organization, discrediting Belarus, incitement of hatred and other crimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A judge of the Brest Regional Court apparently handed down a guilty sentence to designer Jana Maskalova, who is believed to have been arrested over suspected links to the now-defunct Bie\u0142aruski Hajun online project that monitored Russian military equipment movements in Belarus between 2022 and early 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Committee for State Security (KGB) designated as \u201cextremist groups\u201d the Belarusian National Coalition, which unites opponents of Belarusian opposition leader Sviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja, and the Premiya Dayvera Telegram channel community that supports Ukraine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The KGB listed Mika\u0142aj Bandarenka, Maksim Barodzi\u010d, Siarhiej Druhako\u016d, Kira Bajaranka, Alaksandar Jerhulevi\u010d, Volha Karpu\u0161onak, Michai\u0142 Ku\u010dara\u016d, Kaciaryna Ku\u010duk, Illa Mirona\u016d, A\u0142a Marcinovi\u010d, Siarhiej Pu\u0161no\u016d, Ta\u0107ciana Radzievi\u010d, Juryj Rud\u017a, Natalla Fidler and Mikita Kry\u016dco\u016d as members of the Belarusian National Coalition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Notably, Kry\u016dco\u016d\u2019s name and date of birth match those of a 2020 protester who was found hanged in August 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The information ministry expanded its list of extremist content adding the following social media accounts: \u0427\u044b\u043a \u0427\u044b\u0440\u044b\u043a and Byaroza_info on Telegram; BYAROZA INFO on YouTube; Kuncaushchyna and Belarusians in Greece on Instagram; Belarusisk Forening i Norge RAZAM, Belarus: What the World Needs to Know, and \u041f\u0430\u0434\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0436\u0436\u0430 \u0411\u0427 on Facebook. For a second time, the Telegram chat \u0421\u0418\u0417\u041e \u21161 \u041a\u043e\u043b\u044f\u0434\u0438\u0447\u0438 was declared extremist content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belarusian human rights defenders have declared 17 more individuals to be political prisoners, taking their total to 922, according to a statement posted on the Viasna Human Rights Center\u2019s website. They are Michail Pa\u0142aznik, Julija Kavalenka, Anastasija Kavalenka, Alaksiej Pustachod, Andrej Jankovi\u010d, D\u017amitryj Ka\u017eadub, Cimafiej Puhacho\u016d, D\u017amitryj Kasienka, Siarhiej Komar, Andrej Ba\u0142mako\u016d, Alaksandar Hiet\u010danka, D\u017amitryj \u010cavusa\u016d, Alaksandar \u010cykindzin, Anatol Kalino\u016dski, Juryj Ruk\u0161ta, Siarhiej \u0160\u010darbako\u016d, and Viktar Ja\u016dmienienka<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reports have it that recently arrested Anatol Parachnievi\u010d, a Catholic priest in the Minsk region\u2019s Vilejka district, is being held in the KGB detention center in Minsk, possibly on suspicion of high treason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An apartment owned by exiled economist Pavie\u0142 Dajneka, sentenced to 12 years in prison without being present at his trial, has been put up for auction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Human rights defenders reported a number of discrepancies on the list of political prisoners released starting March 19. In particular, authorities freed U\u0142adzimir Machna\u010d, who was serving four and a half years in prison, and not Alaksandr Machna\u010d, convicted in the Bie\u0142aruski Hajun case. BelaPAN\u2019s<\/em> former CEO D\u017amitryj Nava\u017ey\u0142a\u016d, sentenced to six years in prison, was not released despite appearing on the list. At the same time, U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Nava\u017eanca\u016d was released despite missing from the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities failed to auction off a land plot in the Brest region\u2019s Baranavi\u010dy district that belongs to Catholic priest Hienryk Akalatovi\u010d, who was released in November 2025 and taken to the Vatican, Viasna said, citing a lack of bids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those pardoned on March 19 are reporting severe restrictions on their freedom, with police threatening to arrest them for violations of terms of their release and demanding that they find jobs as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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