The wife of jailed RFE/RL consultant Ihar Losik has been reportedly detained for "facilitating extremist activities," a charge that apparently arises from an interview she did with the Belsat television channel.
The BGM Telegram channel, founded by Losik, cited several other Telegram channels close to the government as reporting on October 17 that Darya Losik faces the charge over the interview with the Polish-based Belsat channel, which Belarusian authorities shut down and labeled extremist in July last year.
There was no immediate confirmation from Belarusian authorities that Darya Losik had been detained.
RFE/RL President Jamie Fly condemned Darya Losik's detainment and demanded her immediate release.
"Darya Losik is guilty of nothing more than advocating for her wrongly imprisoned husband, Ihar Losik. She must be released immediately to care for her daughter, Paulina. The Losik family has endured enough," he said, referring to the Losiks' 4-year-old daughter.
Ihar Losik was sentenced to 15 years in prison in December 2021 on charges that remain unclear.
The husband of exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Syarhey Tsikhanouski, as well as four other bloggers and opposition activists, were sentenced to lengthy prison terms along with Losik at the time.
Losik and other defendants have insisted that the case against them is politically motivated.
