{"id":90673,"date":"2024-06-14T11:22:42","date_gmt":"2024-06-14T08:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/90673\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"update-on-arrests-trials-politically-motivated-persecution-177","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/90673\/","title":{"rendered":"Update on arrests, trials, politically-motivated persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 14, Pozirk<\/em>. <\/strong>New politically-motivated arrests and trials documented in Belarus on June 13 show that authorities are set to punish protest activities and all signs of dissent.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Riot police arrested Pavie\u0142 Ivano\u016d at his country house outside Viciebsk for allegedly participating in 2020 postelection protests and posting “emotional” comments online, Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A man was arrested in Marjina Horka, Minsk region, for posting pro-Ukrainian comments in an opposition Telegram channel, a pro-government source said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 17, a Minsk resident was given 13 days in jail over a passport cover with the Pahonia coat of arms, the Pravo Imeyut <\/em>Telegram channel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later that month, two men from Lida and Astraviec in the Hrodna region were fined over Instagram subscriptions and had their smartphones confiscated, it noted. The fines ranged from 800 ($250) to 1,200 rubels ($375).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D\u017amitryj \u010co\u016dhun, the founder of the Brest-based Paragraph coffee shop chain, was arrested at the Belarusian-Polish border, activist Siarhiej Mieljaniec said on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities blacklisted povestka.org<\/em>, its Instagram page and two Telegram bots as extremist content, claiming that the website promoted and facilitated draft evasion, Mediazona<\/em> reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

State symbols<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alaksandar Babkin is on trial in Hrodna on a minor offense charge of illegal actions towards state symbols, the Pravo Imeyut<\/em> Telegram channel said. In 2021, he had been sentenced to one year in prison in a politically-motivated case. The judge had also ordered Babkin to undergo forced treatment for alcoholism at that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 28, a judge in Mahilo\u016d sentenced D\u017amitryj Puzika\u016d to six months in prison for allegedly tearing down the state flag from a store while drunk, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criminal proceedings<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ja\u016dhien Sizo\u016d, a former employee at the Belarusian Steel Works in \u017d\u0142obin, Homiel region, is on trial on violent disorder charges most likely linked to his participation in protests, Viasna said. He has been in custody since April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rus\u0142an Kru\u010dynin’s trial opened in Homiel. Charges against him include inciting hatred, slandering and insulting Alaksandar \u0141uka\u0161enka and officials in connection with politically-sensitive social media posts, according to Viasna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rights groups declared former journalist Alena Cima\u0161\u010duk a political prisoner following her conviction on June 3, Viasna reported. She was given five years in prison on charges of discrediting Belarus, inciting hatred and association with an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of June 14, human rights defenders identified at least 1,397 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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