#Belarus. 10 students, one alumni, one tutor were sentenced to prison terms (most to 2.5 years each) for ostensible "organized crime" and "organizing mass riots".
Most of them are in jails since Autumn 2020.
source RFERL
Student of Belarus Academy of Arts Maria Kalenik got 2.5 years in prison.
In her last word she talked about her love to Belarus and the future of the country.
Phylosophy student Ksenia Syramalot got 2.5 years in prison.
Ksenia told, "If you, the High Court, and the entire Republic of Belarus which you represent consider that it is criminal to follow the Constitution, it is criminal to be a human being, then I will accept any verdict."
Pedagogical University student Kasia Budzko got 2.5 years in prison.
Kasia undersored that she loved Belarus despite spending 8 month in jail before the trial. She thanked family and friends. She told she was sure that solidarity of Belorussians would come to effect.
Biology student Yahor Kanetski got 2.5 years in prison.
Linguistics student Gleb Fitsner was the only one who pleaded guilty in preposterous "organized crime" and "organizing mass riot" charges.
Lukashenka regime thanked Gleb for his cooperation with 2 years in prison.
Former high-achieving Mathematics student - he was expelled from Belarus State University for his activism - Ilya Trachtenberg has got 2.5 years in prison.
"I will remain a free person, because I am capable of thinking and making decisions independently", told Ilya.
Architecture student Victoria Granouskaya got 2.5 years in prison.
"I was afraid and worried about my own and other people's lives. My grandmother has taught that domestic violence cannot be tolerated…Belarusians are one big family. I did not and I will not tolerate violence"
Technical Univ student Anastasiya Bulybenko has got 2.5 years in prison.
"I know I did everything right. I feel pain, but have no fear anymore. I came out not against the authorities, but against violence. We are the future generation of tolerance and freedom. We are the future"
When Anastasiya Bulybenko was arrested in November 2020, Lukashenka thugs have marked her with red paint.
Pedagogical University student Yana Arabeika has got 2.5 years in prison.
"Time behind bars has not convinced that fear is better than trust. My last word will be 'Freedom'."
Tutor at University of Informatics and Radio Electronics Volha Filatchankava got 2.5 years in prison.
In her last word Volha told that she was sorry that because of Lukashenka and his minions, many Belarusians were forced to leave the country. That would change soon, she hoped.
Dentistry alumni Alana Gebremariam has got 2.5 years in prison.
"I am proud to be a Belarusian", Alana told in her last word.
Mathematics student Tatsiana Yakelchik has got 2.5 years in prison.
In her last word she told that the future belonged to students.
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Crackdown on journalism continues in #Belarus. Number of prominent journalists have been arrested today. Raids of journalists’ houses are taking place. Minsk office of @RFERL is being raided (Lukashenka thugs broke the door to get in; they have seized the equipment).
RFERL journalist Aleh Gruzdzilovich has been arrested.
Lukashenka thugs handcuffed Aleh. They took away all the phones (his and his wife) and all the laptops. They took all the cash money (including from the pocket of his wife). 9 people participated in the arrest.
Horrifying story from #Belarus. After yet another interrogation by Lukashenka thugs, 17-year-old participant of protests in August 2020 Dzmitry Stakhouski blamed the Investigative Committee in his last post and jumped from a 16th floor window the same day.
Source: @viasna96
TRANSLATION of the last post of 17-year-old Dzmitry Stakhouski.
If you read this, that means I am no longer alive.
The Investigative Committee is to blame.
It's not a secret that there was [a criminal case on the] Article 293 part 2 [of the Criminal Code] against me. In short, [they opened the case] for rallying. I don't think I would do such a horrible thing as suicide if they would not continue to exert moral pressure on me.
Just in: Minsk airport delayed departure of @lufthansa flight LH1487 to Munich because of purported terrorist threat. Allegedly they’ve got another email. No new time of departure was given.
Via Minsk Airport tgm
*to Frankfurt
Passenger of @lufthansa LH1487 flight Minsk-Frankfurt are back to the plane.
Via Belsat.
"I ask you to blame the Russian Federation for my death”,- wrote in her last Facebook post Russian journalist Irina Slavina on October 2nd, hours before setting herself on fire in front of the local police office in her hometown of Nizhny Novgorod.
Since 2015 On her own Irina Slavina has founded and run KozaPress news website.
In 2019 KozaPress was the second most popular news outlet in Nizhny Novgorod.
She started her own project out of necessity, after loosing her job in the local media 3 times:
"Back then I have lost my job for the third time, left without income and being blacklisted. There are no more editors and media in the region who would undertake the risk of hiring me", - told Irina Slavina in one of her interviews on how KozaPress was started
Sviatlana #Tsikhanouskaya in her video statement today:
"I am ready to assume responsibility and act as a national leader"
Aims:
Freedom for political prisoners,
New presidential elections
My dear beloved Belarusians! We all and our country are going through a very difficult period in our history. When meanness borders on heroism, despair on courage, and love on betrayal. During this period we must make our choice. These times demand it from us.
These days, when we buried our heroes, I cry with you. This is an incredible loss for the country: innocent young people have been killed. We need to support their families. We are obliged to name the streets by their names in the future, their names will remain in our memory