A local court in the southeastern Belarusian city of Homel has rejected appeals filed by three members of the popular rock group Tor Band against prison sentences they were handed in late October 2023, state television reported.
The group became popular for their songs supporting the thousands of people who protested the official results of a presidential election in August 2020 that declared authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka the winner despite widespread belief the vote was rigged.
On October 31 2023, a member of the group, Dzmitry Halavach, was sentenced to nine years in prison. Yauhen Burlo was sentenced to eight years in prison and Andrey Yaremchyk received 7 1/2 years in prison.
The men were found guilty of insulting Lukashenka, discrediting the country, establishing an extremist group, and inciting social hatred.
The Crisis In Belarus
Read our coverage as Belarusian strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka continues his brutal crackdown on NGOs, activists, and independent media following the August 2020 presidential election.
The musicians were arrested in October 2022, and in January 2023, the Belarusian KGB labeled Tor Band "extremist" and banned it.
Thousands have been detained during countrywide protests over the election results and there have been credible reports of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Several people have died during the crackdown.
Lukashenka has refused to negotiate with the opposition and many of its leaders have been arrested or forced to leave the country.
The United States, the European Union, and several other countries have refused to acknowledge Lukashenka as the winner of the vote and imposed several rounds of sanctions on him and his regime, citing election fraud and the crackdown.
Separately on January 18, the Vyasna human right center said that police in the western region of Brest detained six men two days before after "brutally searching their homes," breaking car windows and destroying items inside the houses.
One of the men whose house was searched was hospitalized bleeding, Vyasna said, citing witnesses. The man's current state of health is unknown.
All six of them were successful shuttle traders. One of them was released late on January 17, Vyasna said, adding that the reason for the searches and detainments remained unclear.