{"id":207816,"date":"2026-10-16T23:53:58","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:53:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/207816\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T23:54:00","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T20:54:00","slug":"human-rights-groups-name-12-new-political-prisoners","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/207816\/","title":{"rendered":"Human rights groups name 12 new political prisoners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>October 16, <em>Pozirk<\/em>.<\/strong> Belarusian human rights defenders have declared eight more individuals as political prisoners, taking their total to 886, according to a statement posted on the Viasna Human Rights Center\u2019s website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The recent additions include imprisoned Viktar Ma\u015bko, Halina U\u015bciuhova, Anton Daku\u010daje\u016d, Siarhiej Kazinski, Sviatas\u0142a\u016d Padva\u0161ecki, and Alaksandr Rutkievi\u010d. The other individuals are Inha Kaziu\u010dyc, and D\u017amitryj Zara.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last month, <em>Nasha Niva<\/em> identified Zara as a retired lieutenant colonel who was once an associate of the opposition\u2019s former defense chief Valery Sacha\u0161\u010dyk. Zara, who returned to Belarus earlier this year under unknown circumstances, is staying in the Committee for State Security (KGB)\u2019s detention center in Minsk himself and has been subjected to torture, the report said. At least 10 officers, mostly experienced military pilots, are currently held in the jail for allegedly communicating with Zara, <em>Nasha Niva<\/em> said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Former police officer Kazinski, Ma\u015bko and Daku\u010daje\u016d were sentenced to eight, four and 2.5 years in prison, respectively. Padva\u0161ecki is serving a 13-year term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The charges against the newly recognized political prisoners range from inciting hatred and insulting officials to high treason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Viasna Human Rights Center, Pravavaja Inicyjatyva, Lawtrend, PEN Belarus, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Barys Zvozska\u016d Human Rights House, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, and Human Constanta signed the declaration, demanding the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to politically motivated persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"insert-block\">\n\n    <div class=\"insert-block__img\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u0430-\u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435-\u043f\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0430\u0431\u0430\u0439-300x200.jpg\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u0430-\u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435-\u043f\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0430\u0431\u0430\u0439-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u0430-\u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435-\u043f\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0430\u0431\u0430\u0439-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u0430-\u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435-\u043f\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0430\u0431\u0430\u0439-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/pozirk.online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/\u0442\u044e\u0440\u044c\u043c\u0430-\u0441\u043e\u043b\u043d\u0446\u0435-\u043f\u0438\u043a\u0441\u0430\u0431\u0430\u0439.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>                        <label class=\"insert-block__tag--mobile\"> Politics<\/label>\n\n                <\/div>\n    <div class=\"insert-block__text\">\n                    <label class=\"insert-block__tag\">Politics<\/label>\n                <h3 class=\"insert-block__title\">Viasna: 4,815 people declared political prisoners since 2020<\/h3>\n        <div class=\"insert-block__descr\">October 5, Pozirk. As many as 4,815 people have been granted political prisoner status in the six years since the 2020 presidential election in Belarus, the Viasna Human Rights Center says in its September report. At least 10,172 people have &#8230;<\/div>\n        <a class=\"insert-block__btn-block\" href=\"\/en\/news\/206319\">\n            <button class=\"btn\">\n                <div class='btn__text'>Read the article<\/div>\n            <\/button>\n        <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>October 16, Pozirk. Belarusian human rights defenders have declared eight more individuals as political prisoners, taking their total to 886, according to a statement posted on the Viasna Human Rights Center\u2019s website. The recent additions include imprisoned Viktar Ma\u015bko, Halina U\u015bciuhova, Anton Daku\u010daje\u016d, Siarhiej Kazinski, Sviatas\u0142a\u016d Padva\u0161ecki, and Alaksandr Rutkievi\u010d. The other individuals are Inha [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":63993,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-207816","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","rubric-politics"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Human rights groups name 12 new political prisoners | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"October 16, Pozirk. 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