Фото: Генпрокуратура
More than 2,500 people have been sentenced in Belarus for “extremist crimes” over the past 18 months. Prosecutor General Dzmitry Hora said this in the National Assembly.
“Active efforts have been made to investigate extremist crimes, identify those responsible and bring them to criminal justice. Over the past 18 months, prosecutors have supported the state prosecution in more than 2,000 criminal cases in this category involving 2,500 people. Law enforcement agencies are taking measures to bring to criminal justice all persons who have committed extremist and terrorist crimes since 2020,” he said.
In Belarus, charges of extremism are used by law enforcement agencies to prosecute opponents of Lukashenka and dissent more broadly.
Hora also said that since 2022, criminal cases against more than 150 people have been sent to court under special proceedings. This procedure is used against people who are abroad. The trials are held in absentia.
“Together with state security agencies, work has been carried out to ban the activities of terrorist and extremist organizations. Following applications by the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Supreme Court recognized the ‘United Transitional Cabinet’ as a terrorist organization and the ‘European Humanities University’ as an extremist organization,” Hora added.