{"id":87131,"date":"2024-05-25T18:34:27","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T15:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/87131\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"reprisals-two-men-sentenced-over-alleged-sabotage-plot","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/87131\/","title":{"rendered":"Reprisals: two men sentenced over alleged sabotage plot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

May 25, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> The Hrodna Regional Court has sentenced Belarusian national Vadzim Pacenka and Russian national Aleksey Kulikov to 21 and 23 years in prison, respectively, for allegedly plotting an act of sabotage in Hrodna. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men were also charged with espionage, terrorism, high treason and incitement to hatred, a pro-government Telegram channel reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, according to Viasna Naziraje, a district court in Minsk sentenced local resident Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d to three days in jail for alleged protesting by hanging out white-red-white curtains on his window, which irritated police. Via\u010das\u0142a\u016d’s attempt to appeal the decision was unsuccessful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two days ago, authorities opened a criminal case against Alena Ma\u015blukova, an exiled human rights and environmental activist. She is charged with several counts of extremism, the Investigative Committee reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authorities also arrested a man for posting comments on the reported death of D\u017amitryj Karaviako\u016dski, a district police chief in Brest, a pro-government Telegram channel reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forty-four people were added to the list of “persons involved in extremist activities,” the interior ministry announced. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list now has 4,100 entries, including political prisoners D\u017amitryj \u0160\u010derbin, Pavie\u0142 Makaranka, Andrej Brem\u0161midt, Aleh Dziehciarenka, U\u0142adzimir Kamienna\u016d, D\u017amitryj Papko\u016d and Ihar \u010carnavusa\u016d; triathlete Valancina Zielankievi\u010d, a former political prisoner; and Jahor Kra\u016d\u010denia, convicted of high treason but not designated as a political prisoner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exiled activist Karyna Paciomkina said she received a Facebook message from a user who identified himself as an investigator from Salihorsk, Minsk region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She was told that she had been charged with insulting the head of state and asked to provide her Polish address and a recent photograph.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parents of Alaksandar Korny\u0161a\u016d, editor of Viciebskiy Kuryer News<\/em>, were searched again. The Belarusian Association of Journalists quoted him as saying that law enforcers inquired about the media outlet’s funding and looked for “extremist information products.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The homes of candidates running for the opposition Coordination Council were searched in Mahilo\u016d and Babrujsk, Mahilo\u016d region, Mayday Team reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of May 25, human rights defenders identified at least 1,401 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented. Opposition sources estimate the number of political prisoners at around 5,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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