Vitold Ashurak is seen walking and collapsing CHILDREN’S RIGHTS suddenly in an empty cell. Children’s rights were routinely violated in the UNFAIR TRIALS context of criminal justice. At least 10 child protesters and one blogger The justice system was systematically abused were arrested after the post-election protests. by the authorities to crack down on all All were convicted in 2021 in closed, dissent, imprison political opponents and politically motivated trials and given custodial human rights defenders, and intimidate and sentences. Three turned 18 in 2021 while silence their lawyers. Judges were manifestly awaiting trial and were tried as adults. Many biased towards the prosecution and law complained of torture in detention. enforcement agencies, which were widely Mikita Zalatarou, aged 16 when arrested in deployed to initiate unfounded criminal and 2020, was denied his epilepsy medication administrative procedures and provide the and subjected to repeated beatings and necessary “evidence” for the trials. Closed electrocution. He was sentenced to five years’ hearings in criminal cases became the norm imprisonment and subsequently accused of in politically motivated cases, with entire case violence towards a prison guard for which he materials being classified as secret and was given an additional prison term. lawyers routinely forced to sign non- Children continued to be imprisoned for disclosure undertakings or face severe minor, non-violent drug offences and penalties. sentenced to between seven and 12 years’ According to the Defenders.by project, imprisonment. The number of such between February and August over 30 convictions in 2021 was unknown but the lawyers were disbarred or refused extension authorities indicated a growing number of 3 of their licences, after they defended victims such prosecutions of children. of politically motivated prosecutions or took DEATH PENALTY part in peaceful protests. In November, a new law further increased the Ministry of Justice’s Death sentences continued to be imposed control over the legal profession and, and executions carried out, in secret. Two following other new regulations, the number brothers in their twenties sentenced to death of licensed lawyers fell by 7% between in 2020, Stanislau and Ilya Kostseu, were January and November. granted clemency, only the second such In July, the Supreme Court sentenced a clemency since Belarus’s independence. former banker who had tried to stand in the 2020 presidential election to 14 years’ REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS imprisonment on false charges of bribery and Belarusian authorities facilitated the entry of money laundering. Viktar Babaryka was also thousands of people from migrant- and fined the equivalent of US$57,000 and refugee-sending countries to Belarus, lured ordered to pay more than US$18 million as by a false promise of easy passage into the “compensation for the damage caused”. EU. Instead, migrants and refugees faced In September the two most prominent pushbacks from Poland, Lithuania and opposition members remaining in Belarus, Latvia.4 Migrants who were returned or failed Maryia Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak, were to cross into Poland were beaten and convicted following a swift closed trial, and subjected to other forms of violence; were sentenced to 11 and 10 years’ imprisonment deprived of food, water, shelter and respectively on false charges of conspiracy, sanitation; and were the targets of phone “extremism” and national security-related theft and extortion by Belarusian forces. offences. Belarusian border guards regularly prevented people stranded in the border area from leaving the fenced border strip area. Several Amnesty International Report 2021/22 91