“Another Attempt to Hide the Scale of Repression” – Tsikhanouskaya Adviser on Designation of Prisoners’ Relatives Chat as “Extremist Formation”

Tsikhanouskaya’s legal adviser Leanid Marozau commented on the designation of the Telegram chat for relatives of prisoners, “SIZO No. 1 Kalyadzichy“, as an “extremist formation”, calling it an attempt to criminalize any form of mutual assistance.

Marozau stressed that the decision puts the safety of the chat’s 1,800 participants at risk.

“In practice, this means that all relatives of prisoners who seek or provide help may now face persecution. Any participation can become grounds for a criminal case”, he said.

He noted that this concerns not only relatives of political prisoners, but also those whose loved ones are being held in detention for any reason.

“When discussing parcels for detention centers and queues becomes ‘extremism’, any mutual assistance can be criminalized. This is another attempt to isolate people, deprive them of support and hide the real scale of repression”, Marozau said.

“That is exactly why it is important for us to continue talking about repression. As long as people know what is happening, it becomes harder to isolate individuals and hide the repressive system”, he added.