Belarusian authorities have impounded the home of Alyaksei Dzikavitski, the acting director of Belsat TV, an independent Belarusian news channel based in Poland.
The house, located in the Pinsk district in western Belarus, was built nearly a century ago by Dzikavitski's grandfather, a survivor of the Soviet Gulag.
The property seizure marks yet another act of repression under the regime of Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has escalated pressure on opposition figures and independent media outlets in recent years.
Dzikavitski, who resides in Poland, received an official notification from Belarus's Investigative Committee stating that his family home had been seized.
"Even the Stalinist authorities did not take away the house that my grandfather, labeled an 'enemy of the people,' built before he was sent to the gulag," Dzikavitski said.
SEE ALSO: How Ordinary Belarusians Are Helping Victims Of State CrackdownHis grandparents once even let the house be used as a school for local children before a formal school was established in the village.
The precise legal grounds for the confiscation remain unclear, but Belsat TV has been labeled an "extremist organization" by Lukashenka’s regime, and the government has a history of targeting individuals associated with the opposition.
A law signed by Lukashenka in January 2023 allows for the confiscation of property from citizens and organizations engaging in so-called unfriendly actions against Belarus.
This law has been used to justify property seizures from prominent opposition figures, including Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Valer Tsapkala, and other dissidents.
The situation around Dzikavitski's home highlights the ongoing repression against media figures and activists in Belarus, as Lukashenka tightens his grip on power.