Belarus convicts at least 419 people for supporting Ukraine

Belarus has convicted at least 419 people in criminal cases linked to support for Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale war in February 2022. The figures were reported by the Viasna human rights centre, as cited by European Pravda.

The group includes 73 women. A total of 142 people are currently detained, while Viasna said the actual number of criminal cases could be significantly higher.

Charges used in the convictions

A total of 222 people were convicted of “facilitating extremist activities”. The cases included sharing photographs and videos showing the movement of Russian military equipment.

Another 44 people were convicted of “treason” in connection with their support for Ukraine. Belarus also convicted 17 foreign nationals of “espionage”.

Twenty-nine people received “terrorism” convictions in cases involving acts of sabotage, including incidents on railways and at a military airfield. A further 45 were convicted for donating to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The Belaruski Hajun cases

Viasna said the largest number of convictions was linked to the so-called Hajun case, a wave of arrests connected with the independent monitoring project Belaruski Hajun. The project tracked the movements of Russian and Belarusian troops.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously condemned a new wave of repression by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime in connection with the Hajun case.