{"id":46805,"date":"2023-05-12T12:32:31","date_gmt":"2023-05-12T09:32:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/api.pozirk.online\/articles\/update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:29:13","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/46805\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n <b>May 12, <span>BPN<\/span>.<\/b> New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 11 with lengthy prison sentences handed down to the founder of an online store selling Belarusian-themed goods and a defense attorney who helped protesters in 2020.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Arrested and released\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Police arrested \u015aciapan Kra\u016d\u010danka in Vilejka, Minsk region, and searched his home, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. He spent three days in custody and was released pending trial on May 15.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Sewing factory employee U\u0142adzis\u0142a\u016d Sucha\u016d was arrested at his workplace in Homiel, the Homiel branch of Viasna said. The reasons for his arrest remain unclear.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Homiel police also arrested local activist Illa Mirona\u016d, his Facebook page says. He will go on trial on May 12.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Authorities released Ramuald U\u0142an under an amnesty program, <span>BPN<\/span> reported. In early January 2021, he was sent to an open-type correctional facility to serve a restricted freedom sentence of two and a half years of restricted freedom in on charges of defamation for sharing an image of police officers who testified against protesters in a local chat. In 1996-2005, U\u0142an published Novaya Gazeta Smorgoni, a local independent newspaper in the Hrodna region.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Authorities also released Mika\u0142aj Zajac, a former spokesperson for the Janka Kupa\u0142a National Theatre, after he had served a jail term, his Instagram page says. Zajac has left Belarus.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Criminal proceedings\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The Minsk City Court sentenced Pavie\u0142 Bie\u0142avus, the founder and owner of Symbal.by online store selling Belarusian-themed goods, to 13 years in prison and a fine of 18,500 rubels (some $7,300), <span>BPN<\/span> reported. Authorities found him guilty of high treason, organizing protests, seeking to undermine national security and leading an extremist group.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t The same court sentenced defense lawyer Anastasija \u0141azarenka, 40, to six years in prison for providing legal help to arrested protesters and their family members in 2020, Viasna said.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t On March 10, a district court in Minsk sentenced Maksim Hujdo, Kaciaryna Ambra\u017eevi\u010d, Ja\u016dhien Kra\u017ea\u016d and Alaksandra Kra\u017eava to two and a half years of restricted freedom in home confinement on charges related to 2020 protests.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Vital Tka\u010denka was given the same term of restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility on similar charges.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Freelance journalist Ja\u016dhien Mierkis went on trial in Homiel, <span>BPN <\/span>reported. Authorities accuse him of facilitating extremist activities as well as forming and running an extremist group.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Other instances of persecution\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Authorities disbarred lawyer Ihar \u015aciapana\u016d who was in charge of the legal aid office in the Lozna district, Viciebsk region. In February, he served 15 days for sharing opposition content. In early March, the Viciebsk Regional Bar Association expelled him for allegedly &#8220;committing an offense incompatible with the legal profession,&#8221; the Pravo na Zashchitu (Right to Defense) initiative reported.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Jailed anarchist activist Alaksandr Franckievi\u010d was held in a punishment cell for a month, Viasna reported. Authorities sentenced him to 16 years and nine months in prison on charges widely seen as politically motivated.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Jailed rock musician Ja\u016dhien Bur\u0142o, 32, was diagnosed with hip necrosis and is currently held at the prison&#8217;s medical ward, the Homiel branch of Viasna said. He is allowed to use crutches. Police arrested The Tor Band musicians in late October 2022 but have not yet disclosed the charges against them.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t Minsk\u2019s Economic Court shut down \u0179micier Ko\u0142as\u2019 publishing house on May 10, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported. The information ministry sought to liquidate the publisher over a book about the Belarusian-Polish border area in 1939-1941.\n<\/p>\n<p>\n\t As of May 12, human rights defenders identified at least 1,484 political prisoners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>May 12, BPN. New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 11 with lengthy prison sentences handed down to the founder of an online store selling Belarusian-themed goods and a defense attorney who helped protesters in 2020. Arrested and released Police arrested \u015aciapan Kra\u016d\u010danka in Vilejka, Minsk region, and searched his home, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":0,"template":"","rubric":[16],"class_list":["post-46805","articles","type-articles","status-publish","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>Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"May 12, BPN. 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New cases of politically-motivated persecution were documented in Belarus on May 11 with lengthy prison sentences handed down to the founder","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/46805\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution | Pozirk","og_description":"May 12, BPN. 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