Since 2020, the human rights community has observed how the Belarusian authorities have been gradually closing all sources of information about the repressions within the country. A closer look at the facts reveals that this is a deliberate policy of the Lukashenko regime. Its goal is to deprive human rights and humanitarian organizations of the opportunity to collect information about the repressions and assist victims.
Therefore, statistics on detentions and repressions published by "official" channels cannot be relied upon. Human rights activists' data should be viewed as a minimum estimate, obtained under conditions of total isolation and information blockade.
We encourage you to send us any information you know about political repression and to document each case through available contacts of human rights defenders .
Timeline of key events:
- Late 2020. The number of closed court hearings is increasing. Human rights activists, media, and independent observers are unable to attend or monitor trials.
- Early 2021. Lawyers who defended people in political trials are being stripped of their licenses , and therefore their right to practice. It's becoming difficult for people to find a lawyer willing to represent them.
Situation as of 2026: As of June 24, 2026, 16 lawyers are facing criminal prosecution. The Ministry of Justice revoked 19 lawyers' licenses for "misconduct," and another 80 were disbarred following certification and recertification. Disciplinary bodies of bar associations expelled 51 lawyers. - Mid-2021. Beginning of mass liquidation of NGOs .
- Late 2021. On November 30, 2021, Law No. 113-Z came into force. Legal consultations became the sole form of work for lawyers; law firms and individual practices were abolished, and restrictions on the right to practice law were introduced.
- Mid-2022. A law on "special proceedings" was signed, meaning trials in absentia of individuals abroad. Publication on the Investigative Committee's website is considered proper notice to the accused. Details of such trials are often unknown.
- 2023. Human rights organizations recognize the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) , the Viasna Human Rights Center, and Dissidentby as "extremist groups." As a result, those who report repression face criminal liability.
- 2024. Detention of relatives of political prisoners for receiving assistance, as well as volunteers who themselves helped political prisoners.
- Early 2025. The Supreme Court press service published statistics on criminal cases for 2024, but concealed data on "politically motivated" verdicts. Since March 2025, the "Court Schedule" section has been closed under the guise of "regulatory work." Previously, it featured the court schedule for all the country's courts: names of defendants, articles of law, and names of judges.
- Spring 2026. 22 chats of prisoners' relatives on various social networks were recognized as "extremist groups."
- Autumn 2026. The Ministry of Internal Affairs stopped updating the " extremist list ," which used to be updated every Friday. The September 25th version was rolled back to the September 18th version (6,930 people), and the page is unavailable "due to technical reasons."