On July 1, 2024, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced 20 intellectuals*, including several scholars, political analysts, and experts, to between 10 and 11.5 years in prison on spurious charges related to extremism and endangering national security.

The Belarusian government has arbitrarily referred to the group as “Tsikhanouskaya’s Analysts.” Those convicted include several who worked in the office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, a Belarusian politician who ran against president Alexander Lukashenko during the 2020 presidential election and has since led the political opposition to his government while in exile. However, the group also includes independent scholars and intellectuals unaffiliated with Tsikhanouskaya.

Belarusian authorities initially brought charges against the 20 individuals on January 24, 2024, alleging that they had participated in extremist activities, incited social hatred, engaged in conspiracy to seize state power, and engaged in activities detrimental to Belarusian national security. In the case of some individuals charged, the allegations appeared to be retaliation for academic work. For instance, the Association Française de Science Politique issued a statement on the charges against French-Belarusian citizen Yauheni Kryzhanouski, stating, “This is a trial politically motivated by the research activity of Yauheni Kryzhanouski who devoted his thesis to the criticism of the Belarusian regime (Protesting through music under an authoritarian regime: the politicization of rock in Belarus, thesis from 2015, published in France in 2022) and to his commitment to democracy and human rights in Belarus.”

The charges were brought in absentia; all individuals charged live outside of Belarus. Individuals charged in absentia have their rights to a fair trial restricted in several ways, such as: they do not receive copies of their indictments, or of the judgement; they are not notified of the date and place of their trial; and they are not allowed to participate in their trial remotely. Additionally, the government appoints defense attorneys and there is limited contact between the defendants and their attorneys.

On May 31, 2024, all 20 individuals stood trial in absentia. They were found guilty, and, on July 1, 2024, the Minsk Regional Court sentenced them to between 10 and 11.5 years in prison. Some also received financial penalties. The group of intellectuals was given the opportunity to appeal their sentences. Some did, but on October 8, the Supreme Court of Belarus rejected their appeals.

On October 23, 2024, the Belarusian security services took additional action against the group of intellectuals by adding them to the list of individuals involved in terrorist activities. On October 28, 2024, the Belarusian Ministry of Internal Affairs also added them to a separate list of individuals involved in extremist activities.

While all 20 experts are outside of Belarus, their sentences and the terrorist and extremist labels mean that they could be arrested by Interpol if they travel internationally. In addition, several members of the group report that their family members still in Belarus have experienced harassment and intimidation, including visits to their homes and interrogations.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the arbitrary conviction and sentencing of several scholars, researchers, and intellectuals in apparent retaliation for their academic work, and nonviolent exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association—conduct that is expressly protected under international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Belarus is a party. State authorities must respect academic freedom and nonviolent expressive conduct and refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter such conduct.

*Those convicted include:
1. Ryhor Astapenia, PhD, Founder of the Centre for New Ideas, Belarus Initiative Director at Chatham House.
2. Philipp Bikanau, MA in Social Sciences, researcher and sociologist.
3. Tatsiana Chulitskaya, PhD in Social Sciences, Senior researcher at Vilnius University. Member of the Governing Board of the European Humanities University (EHU).
4. Alexander Dabravolski. Senior adviser, Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Director of the East European School of Political Studies.
5. Yury Drakakhrust, PhD, Correspondent for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service.
6. Andrei Kazakevich, PhD in Political Science. Director of ‘Political Sphere’ research centre.
7. Hanna Krasulina, press secretary, Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
8. Yauheni Kryzhanouski, PhD in Political Science. Researcher at the University of Strasbourg.
9. Dzianis Kuchynski, MA in Political Science. Diplomatic Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
10. Aliaksandr Lahvinets, MA in Political Science. Programme director, Free Belarus University.
11. Veranika Laputska, MA in International Relations, MA in European Studies, MA in East European Studies, MA in Economy and Society. Researcher and media expert, PhD Candidate at the Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
12. Hanna Liubakova, MA in International Journalism, a non-resident fellow at the Atlantiv Council.
13. Vasil Navumau, PhD in Sociology. Researcher at the University of Siegen / Center for Advanced Internet Studies.
14. Maryia Rohava, MA in European Studies, researcher.
15. Piotr Rudkouski, PhD in Philosophy, expert.
16. Alesia Rudnik, director of the Centre for New Ideas, PhD candidate in Political Science at Karlstad University.
17. Natallia Rabava, MA in Philosophy. Director of research centre BIPART (Belarusian centre in exile).
18. Alexander Shlyk, MA in Political Science, MSc in International Development and Management, MSc in International Human Rights Law. International election expert, former Head of OSCE/ODIHR Election Department.
19. Katsiaryna Shmatsina, political scientist. Doctoral researcher at Virginia Tech (Washington, D.C.). MA in International Relations.
20.Pavel Usau, PhD in Social Sciences. Member of the Belarusian National Secretariat of the Movement Free Belarus, Director of the Center of Political Analysis and Prognosis (Warsaw)

Sources:
https://www.svaboda.org/a/32973522.html
https://spring96.org/en/news/115651
https://apnews.com/article/belarus-analysts-sentenced-crackdown-e1211690c28d8b0a210dd44e18f711d9
https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-tsikhanouskaya-team-sentences/33017625.html
https://theconversation.com/sham-trial-is-belarusian-strongmans-latest-attempt-to-silence-critics-even-those-living-abroad-231764
https://baj.media/en/the-supreme-court-upheld-the-sentences-in-tsikhanouskaya-s-analysts-case/
https://www.afsp.info/solidarite-avec-yauheni-kryzhanouski/ https://www.sciencespo-strasbourg.fr/websites/sciencespo/Communique_Sciences_Po_Strasbourg_Yauheni_Kryzhanouski.pdf
https://www.radarby.com/post/statement-on-the-trial-of-independent-belarusian-analysts
https://www.freiheit.org/de/deutschland/belarusische-aktivisten-und-intellektuelle-schauprozessen-zu-langen-haftstrafen
https://archive.ph/VTJ4f