The authorities in Belarus announced that they had searched the homes and seized property of 104 opposition activists who fled the country, the Associated Press reported, quoted by BTA.
The Belarusian Investigative Committee said yesterday that the searches and seizures targeted activists who had criticized the Belarusian authorities abroad and held a rally to mark the anniversary of Belarus' independence. Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into allegations of "forming an extremist group" and "discrediting Belarus" – crimes punishable by up to seven years in prison.
Officials said they have identified participants in rallies in Poland, Lithuania, Belgium, Georgia, the Czech Republic, the United States and other countries that took place on March 25 on the occasion of the declaration of Belarus as an independent state in 1918. when this happens for the first time in the history of the country. The Belarusian opposition celebrates this event every year.
A spokesman for the Investigative Committee said the activists were "fugitive puppets" and accused them of "calling for economic and political pressure against the country".
Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovska, who fled the country in 2020 under pressure from the authorities, said the searches and seizures were "revenge against Belarusians who continue to fight against the dictatorship". "Lukashenko's regime is trying to sow fear among Belarusians not only in Belarus, but also abroad," Tikhanovska said. "Belarusians live in harsh conditions that remind those of Stalin's time – increasingly severe repression, arbitrary arrests and constant insecurity," she added.