On 10 October the trial of Anastasia Kukhta started in Minsk City Court. She is accused of participation in protests (Article 342), calling for sanctions or actions aimed at damaging the national security of the Republic of Belarus (Article 361 part 3) and creation or participation in an extremist formation (Article 361-1 part 1 of the Criminal Code). She faces up to 12 years in jail, the lowest threshold of punishment – 4 years. Initially the regime came to her house with a search on February 17. After she was detained she received 15 days in jail for alleged disorderly conduct, after which she was declared a suspect in a criminal case.
The hunger strike of Ihar Alinevich continued till the middle of October. Ihar started the hunger-strike on 19 September. The exact demands are not known for certain, but apparently the last straw was a report on his placement in the punishment cell. Prior to that, he had sent complaints to higher authorities about the arbitrariness of the prison administration, but received no response. Therefore, Ihar assumes that they did not leave the prison at all. On his birthday, 24 September, Ihar Alinevich was placed in a solitary confinement cell and his lawyer was not allowed to see him during the entire hunger strike. According to unconfirmed reports, Ihar was visited by the prosecutor in the penal cell. It is very difficult to get any information about him. Even his mother has not been able to see her son for years; there is no way to get in touch with him on the phone, and all letters are censored and often do not reach him at all. On October 17, Ihar’s parents received a postcard dated October 14. “Hello, Mom and Dad! Here I am! I am fine. As always spiritually stronger, intellectually enlightened and emotionally relaxed,” the anarchist wrote.
On October 21, the fence of the Belarusian embassy in Prague was covered with red paint and the slogan “Freedom for Ihar A.” was written. In this regard, the anarchists of Prague distributed a statement. Here’s an excerpt from it:
“The red color symbolizes the blood of people beaten by the Belarusian police at demonstrations and in prison cells. Moreover, the Belarusian state acts as an accomplice of the Russian state in the aggressive war it is waging in Ukraine. Thus, the Lukashenko regime is an accomplice in the bloodbath outside of Belarus. The colored message on the Belarusian embassy in Prague is a sign of solidarity with Ihar Alinevich. […] Ihar Alinevich is not alone in his struggle, and the Belarusian state will sooner or later die out. Unfortunately, the activist who painted the embassy was detained and later sentenced to three months in jail with a 15-month suspension.”[1]
On 10 November the Homel Regional Court will start the trial of a criminal case against anti-fascist activist from Mozyr Krystsina Charankova. She is accused of inciting other social hatred or discord under Art. 130 of the Criminal Code for publishing critical articles of the regime in her Instagram account. The case will be heard by Judge Alexei Hlyshchankov.
Read the latest and more news on our social networks.
1: Source – https://kronika.noblogs.org/post/2022/10/29/barevny-vzkaz-na-beloruskem-velvyslanectvi-v-praze/