Коллаж: spring96.org/be
The Interior Ministry has added another 25 individuals to the “List of Citizens of the Republic of Belarus, Foreign Citizens and Stateless Persons Involved in Extremist Activity.”
Among them are Honest People activists — Alena Zhylachkinа (Zhivoglod), Zaryna Sarokina, Aleh Davydchyk and Tsimafey Malakhouski. A verdict in the case was handed down in absentia by the Vitsyebsk Regional Court on Jan. 22. The defendants were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code, including “discrediting Belarus,” “inciting hatred,” “insulting and slandering Lukashenka,” and “calling for sanctions against the Republic of Belarus.”
Alena Zhylachkinа was sentenced to 10 years in a medium-security penal colony and fined 67,500 Belarusian rubles. Zaryna Sarokina, Tsimafey Malakhouski and Aleh Davydchyk were each sentenced to eight years in a penal colony and fined 40,500 Belarusian rubles.
The Honest People initiative was established in 2020 to counter alleged fraud in the presidential election. Its volunteers sought to join precinct election commissions and served as election observers. Together with the Golos and ZUBR.in organizations, Honest People organized online platforms for monitoring polling stations and the Golos platform for an independent vote count.
Political analyst Dzmitry Balkunets was also added to the list. He had previously been convicted in absentia under eight articles of the Criminal Code.
The “extremist list” now contains 6,728 names.
Belarusian authorities regularly use extremism-related charges to target political opponents and dissent more broadly.