TALLINN, Estonia — Authorities in Belarus proceed their unrelenting crackdown on dissent at the same time as they launch some prisoners, the nation’s main rights group informed The Related Press on Tuesday.
Final month, the Belarusian authorities pardoned and launched 14 prisoners, however no less than 60 extra folks have been arrested on politically motivated fees, mentioned Pavel Sapelka, a rights advocate with the Viasna human rights heart. In Might, the middle counted greater than 100 politically pushed arrests, Sapelka mentioned.
“The steamroller of repressions does not cease, and the authorities proceed to stifle any dissent in Belarus, opening new high-profile instances,” Sapelka informed the AP on Tuesday. “Nobody, completely nobody can really feel secure in Belarus.”
Mass arrests and convictions of presidency critics in Belarus have continued since 2020, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was handed a sixth time period in workplace in an election that the opposition and the West denounced as rigged.
Tens of 1000’s of individuals took to the streets in protest, within the greatest demonstrations that the nation’s ever seen. Authorities unleashed a violent crackdown in response, detaining and beating 1000’s and driving many extra into exile overseas. The crackdown drew worldwide condemnation, and the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Belarus.
Viasna has recorded 1,174 folks behind bars as political prisoners. The quantity consists of 38 journalists and the group’s founder, Ales Bialiatski, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. No less than eight political prisoners have died behind bars.
Lukashenko, who in January secured one other time period in workplace in one other election the opposition denounced as a sham, has not too long ago been pardoning among the political prisoners, in search of to enhance ties with the West. In whole, he has pardoned and freed greater than 300 prisoners since July 2024, together with some U.S. residents and different foreigners.
Final month, Belarusian authorities released prominent opposition figure Siarhei Tsikhanouski and 13 others and introduced them to Lithuania. Their launch got here simply hours after Belarusian authorities introduced that Lukashenko met with U.S. President Donald Trump’s envoy for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, within the Belarusian capital, Minsk.
However rights advocates argue that the scenario in Belarus hasn’t modified, and authorities have not too long ago opened a number of new high-profile instances, which signifies their intention to proceed the crackdown.
No less than 20 folks have been arrested within the case in opposition to Belaruski Hajun, a Belarusian activist group that screens troops actions in Belarus, Sapelka mentioned.
Viasna on Monday additionally reported the arrest of common Belarusian signer Aleh Hamenka, who’s being accused of collaborating in anti-government protests. One other case entails sociologists from the Wardomacki sociological analysis laboratory, based on Sapelka.
Nils Muižnieks, U.N.’s particular rapporteur for human rights in Belarus, has not too long ago mentioned that “there is no such thing as a signal of enchancment within the human rights scenario in Belarus, and the authorities are disregarding affords of cooperation.”