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Arrests, Convictions, Prosecution<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n \u017danna Babro\u016dskaja<\/b> from Navahradak was convicted<\/a> to 10 days of administrative arrest for wearing a yellow Jewish star on a tour of the city about the Halacaust; such tours became regular but people began to be detained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Valancina Kry\u0161topienka<\/b> from Viciebsk, an individual with a disability of group 1, was fined 40 basic units [370 EUR] for a photo with a quote from the Bible: \u201cWhen the wicked rule, the people groan<\/em>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Maksim Znak<\/b> and <\/span>Maryja Kale\u015bnikava<\/b> are facing new charges: “conspiracy in order to seize power<\/em>” and “creation of an extremist group and its management<\/em>” (from 8 to 12 years in prison).<\/span><\/p>\n Valer Jesipionak<\/b>, the owner of the store “Moj Modny Kut”, who was to be released on February 12, after serving 15 days of arrest, was sentenced to another 5 days for alleged “disobedience during detention<\/em>.”<\/span><\/p>\n Andrej Drahun<\/b>, a musician who played at the Niamiha metro station in Minsk on February 11, was sentenced to 20 days in jail.<\/span><\/p>\n Volha Siem\u010danka<\/b>, an employee of the Mahilo\u016d Drama Theater, was detained on February 11 from her workplace for a “preventive talk<\/em>“. Volha had been detained twice before.<\/span><\/p>\n Riot police broke into a secret concert of the band <\/span>Ra\u017abitaje Serca Pacana<\/b> taking place near Smalavi\u010dy. 68 people were detained (including the underaged): among them <\/span>Pava\u0142 Haradnicki<\/b> (15 days of administrative arrest), <\/span>Dzianis Tarasienka <\/b>and <\/span>Andrej Osip\u010dyk <\/b>\u00a0(15 days of administrative arrest), musicians if the band, <\/span>Anastasija Dol <\/b>(fined for 30 basic units, [278 EUR]), the band\u2019s manager, <\/span>U\u0142ad\u017a Lepia\u0161ynski<\/b> (15 days of administrative arrest)<\/span> and <\/span>Valeryja Suravickaja <\/b>(15 days of administrative arrest), musicians.\u00a0<\/span> Pressure, Dismissal, Ban<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Alaksiej Sa\u0142aduchin<\/b>, director of the Hrodna Music College, was dismissed<\/a> from his post. <\/span>At the polling station where Alaksiej<\/span> was chairman during the presidential election, Sviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja won, and then he did not dismiss workers and did not expel students during the protests.<\/span><\/p>\n Nina Skrybec<\/strong>, from of Viciebsk, was first fined 1,450 BYN [460 EUR] for the picket which she didn\u2019t participate in and then fired<\/a>.<\/p>\n “They try to drive you into a corner so that people sit quietly like mice under a broom. Such conditions were created for us, it was impossible to work. When after the opening of Maksim Sary\u010da\u016d’s exhibition “I can almost hear birds” representatives of the Ministry of Emergency Situations came to us, it became clear that it is not worth tempting fate.The next visitors to the gallery would likely be people in black masks”.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Pressure continues<\/a> on the store <\/span>“Prince Vita\u016dt”<\/b> in Brest, which sells products with national symbols. Another court hearing was held on February 11, after a number of inspections, as a result of which the store has to pay a fine of 5,800 BYN [1800 EUR] for violations that inspections usually turn a blind eye to. The pressure on the store started a year and a half ago for the T-shirts with the image of an \u201cavtozak\u201d (police van) with the line “Welcome to Belarus” on it, and intensified before the presidential election.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hanna Zenina<\/b>, a 13-year-old girl from Minsk who is learning to play the saxophone at a Minsk music high school, has been participating in the school brass quartet for several years. She refused<\/a> to take part in the Young Talents of Belarus contest hosted by the First Channel of Belarusian Radio. She motivated her refusal by her civil position: she is opposed to the Belteleradiocompany’s position. The head of the quarter excluded her from participating in its activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Symbols<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Several dozen people were fined or received administrative arrests for white-red-white colors and the Pahonia emblem over the week.<\/span><\/p>\n Alaksandr Maisieje\u016d<\/b>, an assistant professor at the Department of General and Orthopedic Dentistry of Viciebsk State Medical University, was fired<\/a> for “absenteeism” \u2013 he spent two days in the detention center as he had been detained for having white-red-white curtains in the windows of his apartment. <\/span><\/p>\n A modified photo of 1941 with a fascist swastika, which was initially black and white, appeared on the website of the newspaper <\/span>\u201cSoviet Belarus. Belarus Today\u201d.<\/b> In response, a petition<\/a> was created, <\/span>its author believes that the distortion of documentary evidence in the publication was made intentionally in order to create lasting negative associations with the white-red-white flag, and the caption under the photo with personal opinions of the author is aimed solely at forming in the reader a belief which diminishes the honor and dignity of the people and events that took place in our country under the white-red-white flag.<\/span><\/p>\n Barys Chamajda<\/b>, a Viciebsk activist, was detained<\/a> while distributing Belarusian publications under a white-red-white umbrella. He was warned that he would be detained every time he would show up with white-red-white symbols and fined, thus he would be deprived of his livelihood.<\/span><\/p>\n Cultural Resistance<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/zhanna-babrouskaya-340x240.jpg\")
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\nAksana Hajko<\/b>, head of the independent cultural space “Kry\u0142y cha\u0142opa” in Brest, accused of tax evasion on a large scale, comments<\/a> on the closure of the space:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/aksana-gajko-340x240.jpg\")
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