{"id":190597,"date":"2026-06-04T21:10:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190597\/"},"modified":"2026-06-04T21:10:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T18:10:20","slug":"rights-defenders-say-nearly-9800-people-faced-reprisals-since-2020","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/190597\/","title":{"rendered":"Rights defenders say nearly 9,800 people faced reprisals since 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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June 4, Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> A total of 854 designated political prisoners were held in Belarusian prisons as of late May, including 112 women, says a recent report by the Viasna Human Rights Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights defenders added 32 new names to the list last month. However, this does not indicate a reduction in the scale of reprisals as authorities are withholding information from the public and intensifying pressure on those who report on politically-motivated persecution, rights defenders noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2020, at least 9,792 people have faced reprisals, and at least 8,477 have been convicted, including in absentia. These figures continue to rise every month, although human rights defenders are significantly limited in their ability to document these cases, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, law enforcers raided dozens of homes of exiled activists linked to the election to the opposition Coordination Council and Freedom Day rallies abroad. Authorities also intensified checks, interrogations and arrests of activists who left the country after 2020, with reports of body searches requiring full undressing, Viasna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also continued to persecute people for solidarity with Ukraine, with at least 171 people held behind bars or serving sentences in such cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The official register of people whom Belarusian authorities consider to be involved in “terrorist\u201d activities included 1,614 individuals, of whom 696 are Belarusians. Eighteen new additions were reported in May.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list of \u201cextremists\u201d expanded by 72 new entries last month to 6,650 people, while the register of \u201cextremist\u201d groups grew by seven entries to 371.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the 2020 political crisis, authorities in Belarus have equated criticism, solidarity, advocacy, free media and free expression to extremism and terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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