Belarus convicts 15 minors on politically motivated charges this year
Fifteen minors have been convicted of politically motivated charges in Belarus thus far in 2025, according to data released by the country's Supreme Court on July 29.
Two minors have been convicted for insulting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko under Article 367 of the Criminal Code.
Lukashenko cracked down on mass protests in 2020, which had broken out in response to what the West denounced as fraudulent presidential election results. Since then, Belarusian authorities have increasingly suppressed political freedoms and been complicit in Russia's war against Ukraine.
Two minors were convicted of Article 361-4, which prohibits promoting "extremist" activities, and another two have been convicted of mocking state symbols, violating Article 186-2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code.
Nine minors have been convicted under Article 342 of the Criminal Code, "Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them."
The "minors were convicted of committing crimes against the state and the order of exercising power and governance," the report said.
Belarus is an "authoritarian state" with "severely restricted" civil liberties, according to the non-profit organization Freedom House.
Years after the 2020 protests, Lukashenko was handed another term as President of Belarus in January 2025, taking office for a seventh consecutive term in an election that has been internationally denounced as a sham.
Minsk refused to invite a mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to observe the country's Jan. 26 presidential election.
