The founding members of a Belarusian startup accused by the authorities of being an extremist group have gone on trial on a raft of serious charges.
The trial of three members of Imaguru (I’m A Guru), which was founded in Belarus in 2013 with the aim of helping entrepreneurs and providing co-working spaces, began in Minsk on September 2.
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.
CEO Tatsyana Marynich and Imaguru member Anastasia Khamyankova are being tried in absentia on charges of inciting hatred, tax evasion, calls for international sanctions against Belarus, plotting to seize power, creating an extremist group, financially supporting extremist activities, involvement in an armed conflict abroad, facilitating extremist activities, discrediting the Republic of Belarus, and abuse of power.
Yauhen Puhach, a former Imaguru director who has been jailed in Belarus since July 2023, is charged with tax evasion and facilitating extremist activities.
The case against the start-up group was launched over its members' support of unprecedented protest rallies challenging the official results of an August 2020 presidential poll that named authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka the winner.
The Belarusian opposition and a majority of voters have insisted that the election was rigged.
In August last year, the Belarusian KGB labeled Imaguru "an extremist group."
In May 2021, Imaguru had to move its offices to Madrid as Belarusian authorities intensified their continuing crackdown on independent businesses, journalists, and opposition figures over the protests.
Also on September 2, the Minsk regional court started the trial of activist Maryna Hatsura on a charge of facilitating extremist activities. It remains unclear what the charge stems from.
The 59-year-old Hatsura was arrested in January along with more than 200 activists or relatives of individuals who are behind bars on politically motivated charges.
Thousands have been detained over the protests against the August 2020 election results, and rights groups have documented cases of torture and ill-treatment by security forces. Several people 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.