Bialiatski, currently serving a 10-year prison sentence on charges widely considered fabricated, is among the latest additions to a list that now includes 3,595 individuals.
The Belarusian Interior Ministry, responsible for compiling and updating the "list of people involved in extremist activities," categorizes those it deems as opponents of the regime as "extremists." This designation, according to independent legal experts, is applied arbitrarily and often targets individuals prosecuted for political reasons in a country that officially denies the existence of political prisoners.
Individuals on the list face numerous restrictions, including limitations on practicing certain professions and stringent state control over their financial transactions. Convicts on the list are also excluded from amnesty.
Two other notable Viasna activists, Valancin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich, who received nine- and seven-year sentences respectively, have been placed on this list alongside Bialiatski.
The Belarusian government also maintains other lists, categorizing individuals and entities as "terrorists" or "extremists," often including political opponents of strongman Alexander Lukashenko.
Recent updates to the "extremist" list have also added bloggers Sciapan Pucić and Jan Rudzik of the Nexta project, as well as Raman Pratasevich, a former blogger previously pardoned by Lukashenko.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP
