As of the end of July, there were 1,488 political prisoners in Belarus, including 165 women. More than 900 political prisoners have been released after serving their entire sentences, being amnestied or pardoned. During the month, human rights defenders designated 42 more people as political prisoners.
In total, 3,550 persons convicted in politically motivated criminal trials; at the end of February, Prosecutor General Andrei Shved announced that since 2020, the courts had considered almost 3,000 “extremist” cases against 3,645 people, 62% of whom (about 2,250) were sentenced to imprisonment and custodial restriction of freedom.
On July 11, Belarusian artist and political prisoner Ales Pushkin died in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Hrodna. It was reported that untimely and unprofessional medical care by the staff of prison No. 1 resulted in peritonitis, a septic condition and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. The country’s human rights community issued a statement in which it demanded that the authorities conduct an objective and comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of this tragedy and inform the public about its results, as well as take measures to prevent such cases in the future. This is the third known death of political prisoners in Belarusian penitentiaries. These cases, as well as the suicide of Dzmitry Dudoidz, a person sentenced for political reasons to restriction of freedom, remained without a proper investigation and legal assessment. The authorities continue to detain hundreds of people with serious health problems, including disabilities, among those arbitrarily convicted for political reasons. There is a serious threat to their life and health, and their detention often results in prohibited treatment.
There is still no exact information about the well-being of several well-known opposition politicians, whom the authorities are keeping in strict isolation, including by blocking their correspondence, depriving of the right to telephone conversations and visits, including meetings with lawyers. Their family members, as a result, have no information about their state of health: Maryia Kalesnikava and Mikalai Statkevich have been kept incommunicado for more than five months, Siarhei Tsikhanouski for more than four months, Viktar Babaryka for more than three months. According to the administration of the Navapolack penal colony, Babaryka was placed in cell-type premises (solitary confinement). Calls and visits are prohibited from there. It is, however, unknown for what and for how long the political prisoner was penalized.
Human rights defender and pro-democracy activists possess information about similar situations with other political prisoners; almost all of them are significantly limited in correspondence and meetings with relatives and lawyers.
For more than two years, Viasna’s Valiantsin Stefanovic, Uladzimir Labkovich and Ales Bialiatski have been held in custody. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint project by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), on July 12 in Paris presented a report describing violations at the trial of the three Viasna leaders, including FIDH Vice President Stefanovic, and activist Dzmitry Salauyou, who was tried in absentia. The report was prepared, among other things, on the basis of information from two secret missions of judicial observation conducted by the Observatory.
Marfa Rabkova, coordinator of Viasna’s network of volunteers, and Andrei Chapiuk, a Viasna volunteer, continue to be held in prison. Leanid Sudalenka was released from prison after spending two and a half years in prison.
Political prisoners continue to be subjected to severe pressure while in penitentiaries.
The Babrujsk District and City Court, in a closed court session, heard the criminal charges against political prisoner Siarhei Franchuk, who was accused of “insulting Lukashenka” under Part 1 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code. Another six months were added to Franchuk’s initial sentence, resulting in the total term of three and a half years in prison.
On July 16, political prisoner Ryhor Kastusiou called his wife and said that he had not only been deprived of visits, but also his personal notes were taken from him, including a notepad and addresses for correspondence.
Anarchist political prisoner Aliaksandr Frantskevich, earlier sentenced to 16 years and 9 months in prison, was once again penalized by confinement in a punishment cell. The political prisoner has been continuously kept in the ShIZO since March 28.
Political prisoners Kiryl Kazei and Artur Zhvirydouski are also often placed in the ShIZO.
On June 6, the Hrodna Regional Court upheld the sentence of political prisoner Uladzimir Hundar, 20 years in prison. Hundar’s wife was allowed to see the prisoner, but did not manage to do it because of his quick transfer to prison. In his latest letter, Uladzimir wrote that he had already been sent to a punishment cell twice: first for four days, and two days after his release, for another three days. He believes that in the near future he will again be confined to a ShIZO several times, after which he will be sent to a maximum-security prison.
Judge Volha Balyka of Navapolack ordered to transfer political prisoner Aleh Rubets to prison No. 8 in Zodzina. In total, he was kept in a punishment cell for almost 200 days over the past year.
Political prisoner Uladzimir Harokh has lost a lot of weight and is losing his teeth. He is worried about his knee joints, too. He became so thin and weak that he has had to walk holding on to the walls, hrodna.life reported. Harokh spent the whole winter in the ShIZO. Over the past six months, he was only allowed to receive one package from his family.
The Babrujsk District and City Court convicted political prisoner Yauhen Prapolski of a new criminal offense. Judge Pavel Kartsinin found the political prisoner guilty under Art. 411 of the Criminal Code (blatant disobedience to the requirements of the administration of the colony) and sentenced him, in addition to the initial eight years, to another year and a half of imprisonment.
Yauhen Zashchytau, who is serving a politically motivated sentence, in addition to his initial term, was sentenced on July 13 by judge Viktoryia Paliakova of the Lieninski District Court of Mahilioŭ under Part 1 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code for another 6 months in prison. The political prisoner’s total term is three years and six months.
On July 25, political prisoner Aleh Yafremenka was convicted by the court of the Horki district in his third criminal trial. Yafremenka was again accused under Part 1 of Art. 411 of the Criminal Code. Judge Alena Varabiyova sentenced him to one more year of imprisonment. Previously, security measures were upgraded for the political prisoner: in September 2021, Yafremenka was transferred to a maximum-security prison in Mahilioŭ. The Horki Court added a year to the prisoner’s term for “disobedience” to the administration of the Mahiliou prison.
In total, at least 27 political prisoners were arbitrarily sentenced to additional terms of imprisonment under Article 411 of the Criminal Code