Detention of Mark Bernstein

Mark Izraylevich Bernstein[a] is a blogger from Belarus who was a very active editor on the Russian Wikipedia. Using the username "Pessimist2006",[1] he was one of the top 50 most active editors of the Russian Wikipedia from 2009 to early 2022, and he had made over 200,000 edits.[2][3]

In March 2022, Bernstein was arrested by police in Minsk, Belarus. He was detained after a pro-Russian Telegram channel accused him of breaking Russian censorship laws by editing Wikipedia articles about the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[4][2]

Arrest and detention

Bernstein was first sentenced to 15 days in jail for "disobedience to police."[5][6][7] However, he was not released after that time. Instead, he was later charged with "organizing and preparing activities that disrupt social order." In a joint statement, seven different organizations, including the Viasna Human Rights Centre, said that Bernstein was a political prisoner. He was given a sentence of three years of "restricted freedom,"[8][9] which is like being on parole, and he was released from jail on June 24, 2022. He finished his sentence in January 2025.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Russian: Марк Израйлевич Бернштейн, romanized: Mark Izraylevich Bernshteyn; Belarusian: Марк Ізрайлевіч Бернштэйн.
  1. ↑ Benjakob, Omer (2022-03-14). "Russia's war on truth: Top Wikipedia editor arrested amidst Ukraine censorship". Haaretz. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Song, Victoria (2022-03-11). "A top Wikipedia editor has been arrested in Belarus". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-11.
  3. ↑ Kozlova, Darya (17 March 2022). "Правочный режим. ФСО редактирует статьи в "Википедии" об Украине, википедистов преследуют и угрожают блокировкой проекта — все из-за "спецоперации"" [FSO (Federal Protective Service) edits articles on Wikipedia about Ukraine, Wikipedians are being persecuted and threatened with block of their project – all because of a "special operation"]. Novaya Gazeta (in Russian). Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. ↑ "В Беларуси задержали Марка Бернштейна — активиста и популяризатора интернет-энциклопедии Wikipedia. org" [Mark Bernstein – an activist and populariser of the online encyclopedia Wikipedia – was detained in Belarus]. Zerkalo.io (in Russian). 2022-03-11. Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  5. ↑ "Популяризатору интернет-энциклопедии Wikipedia Марку Берштейну дали 15 суток — за "неповиновение"". zerkalo.io. 2022-03-12. Archived from the original on 2022-03-12. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  6. ↑ "Wikipedia Promoter Mark Bernshtein was Sentenced for 15 Days of Detention for "Disobedience"". Charter 97. 12 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Марк Бернштейн из топ-50 лучших русскоязычных авторов рассказал о своей викидеятельности" [Mark Bernstein of the top 50 Russian-language authors talks about his work]. Мир энциклопедий (in Russian). 2009-11-11. Archived from the original on 2020-02-24. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  8. ↑ "Belarusian Blogger Handed Parole-Like Sentence". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2022-06-24. Archived from the original on 2022-06-25.
  9. ↑ Свабода, Радыё (2022-06-24). "Вікіпэдысту Марку Бернштэйну прысудзілі 3 гады "хатняй хіміі"". Радыё Свабода (in Belarusian).
  10. ↑ "Mark Bernstein (finished serving "home confinement" on January 20, 2025)". PEN Belarus. January 20, 2025. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
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