Ihar Losik

On Tuesday, the verdict in the case of politicians Syarhei Tsikhanouski Mikalai Statkevich, bloggers Ihar Losik and Uladzimir Tsyhanovich, members of Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s election team Artsyom Sakau and Dzmitry Papou has been delivered in pre-trial detention centre Nr 3 in Homiel.

When Ihar was detained, his daughter was one and a half years old.

Ihar Losik, an imprisoned blogger and media consultant, has sent a letter to Pope Francis from Homiel prison.

There’s endless undressing, naked squatting, being escorted in handcuffs, he says.

On June 24, Belarusian opposition politicians Mikalai Statkevich and Syarhei Tsikhanouski, bloggers Ihar Losik, Uladzimir Tsyhanovich, Dzmitry Papou, Artsyom Sakau started to be tried in the city of Homiel.

Nasha Niva reports

More than a dozen journalists, bloggers, media workers are behind bars in Belarus.

No court date has been announced.

The blogger remains behind bars for 300 days

On April 19, Chyhunachny district court of Homiel has declared the Telegram channel Belamova (also known as BGMnews) extremist, the press service of the Interior Ministry reports.

Political prisoner Ihar Losik’s being in custody has been extended to May 25, RFE/RL reports. He has been kept in jail for nearly nine months.

The political prisoner stopped protesting and is now in a punishment cell.

On March 13, US Congressmen James McGovern and Christopher Smith, Co-Chairs of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the U.S. Congress, commented on the prosecution of Belarusian blogger and journalist Ihar Losik.