Ukraine's MFA on Belarusian Hajun case: Lukashenko creates exchange fund to buy indulgences

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (MFA) commented on the detention in Belarus since the beginning of September of at least 88 people in the so-called "Belarusian Hajun" case, noting that such detentions are aimed at creating an "exchange fund" through which the regime of Alexander Lukashenko hopes to "buy indulgences in exchange for innocent people."

"We are convinced that such arbitrary detentions are aimed at creating an 'exchange fund' through which Alexander Lukashenko hopes to buy himself indulgences in exchange for innocent people whom he will send to prison. We emphasize that the repressions of the Belarusian regime constitute a systemic and gross violation of human rights... The mass arrests and imprisonment of Belarusian citizens under the so-called 'Belarusian Hajun case' are an unconditional confirmation of this," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on the website.

The Foreign Ministry urged the international community to increase pressure on Lukashenko and his henchmen.

"We must not forget that since 2022, Belarus has become an accomplice in the crime of aggression against Ukraine, providing its territory, airspace and resources for the Russian Federation to wage an aggressive war against our state. Belarus must certainly bear its share of responsibility for the commission of this crime and all the resulting atrocities against the Ukrainian people," the Foreign Ministry said.

The Belarusian Human Rights Center "Viasna" (Spring) reported on Monday that at least 88 people have been detained in the Belarusian Hajun case, the detentions are taking place throughout Belarus, but most of them in Gomel region.

"Since the beginning of September, 68 people convicted of 'facilitating extremism' have been added to the 'list of extremists.' This is more than a third of all people added to the list during this time. Some of them are defendants in the Hajun case about whom human rights activists are not aware," the center said in a statement on Telegram channel.

"Belarusian Hajun" is a monitoring channel that, from the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine until 2025, provided information on the movement of Russian troops and other military news from Belarus. In early February 2025, it became known that Belarusian security forces had gained access to the contact database of the monitoring project "Belarusian Hajun," the project manager Anton Motolko publicly admitted the fact of the hack, and two days later announced the termination of "Hajun."