A district court in Minsk has sentenced the dissident Belarusian rock band Nizkiz to two and a half years of correctional labour. This judgement came on last Friday, following their conviction for active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order, according to the human rights group Mayday Team. The band members have been behind bars since their arrest in January.
The band members, Alyaksandr Ilyin, Siarhei Kulsha, and Dzmitry Khalyaukin, were convicted under Article 342 of the Criminal Court, in a trial that began on March 19th. This article led to their conviction by Judge Alena Zhivitsa in the Kastrychnytsky district court of Minsk for their alleged participation in anti-government protests in 2020. In addition to their labour sentence, the trio were also added to the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs’ list of extremists.
Opposition from Belarusian authorities against Nizkiz has been ongoing since 2020, when protests against President Alexander Lukashenko’s sixth term in office began. The government responded to these protests with violence and arrested thousands for their participation. Nizkiz played a significant role in this dissent, releasing a song titled “Rules” that was used as an anthem by protestors to oppose Lukashenko’s government and question the election legitimacy. They also filmed a music video at one of these protests.
After their involvement in the demonstrations, Ilyin, Kulsha, and Khalyaukin were arrested in January 2024, resulting in a criminal case being opened against them and their placement in a pre-trial detention center, where they remained until their trial concluded. Belarusian human rights organizations declared them political prisoners in February 2024.
This is just one example of the widespread oppression faced by dissenters under Lukashenko’s government. Viasna estimates there are currently 1,387 political prisoners in Belarus. This number includes bloggers, businessmen, activists, other presidential candidates, and protestors, with the majority detained following the disputed 2020 elections.