586 People Recognised as Political Prisoners in Belarus

The Viasna Human Rights Centre informs that bloggers, entrepreneurs, activists of presidential candidates’ headquarters, and protesters stay in places of detention in Belarus, far from their relatives and friends. They were arrested for participating in peaceful assemblies and expressing their views on the country’s political life. After all, most of these people have been prosecuted in connection with the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.

As of 27 July, 586 people were recognised as political prisoners in Belarus. These are people imprisoned for “insulting the president, government officials, judges. and dishonouring state symbols, using other permissible forms of expression.”

“We consider their prosecution and imprisonment to be politically motivated, linked to the peaceful exercise of expression, and we regard them as political prisoners,” reads the statement by human rights activists.

They demand the immediate release of all political prisoners and an end to political reprisals against the country’s citizens.

As a reminder, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists, more than 60 searches have been conducted in the offices and apartments of media representatives in the country since 20 July 2021. Some journalists were arrested, others were forced to leave Belarus.

Natalia Tolub