During a massive raid by security forces at the end of January, at least 257 people were persecuted, most of them women.
Since the beginning of February, at least 65 people have been prosecuted under Article 24.15 of the Administrative Code, the Human rights center Viasna reports. The reason was the assistance in the form of food transfers, which the families of political prisoners received through e-delivery from the INeedHelpBY initiative.
Some courts have already passed, their results have been large fines with compensation for the amount of benefits. Some of the people who have been persecuted are still waiting for the courts.
Article 24.15 of the Administrative Code (the use of foreign gratuitous aid to carry out terrorist and other extremist activities or other actions prohibited by law) has not been used in Belarus before. Viasna human rights activist Pavel Sapelka notes that this is “arbitrary persecution of people who have not violated any legal rules.”