Political persecutions

Evgeny, the author of the Advek project, was arrested in September 2021 on charges of group actions grossly disturbing public order. The arrest was motivated by a photograph taken on August 9, 2020, showing him at a crosswalk when the traffic light was green during a post-election protest in Minsk.

In November 2021, he was found guilty and sentenced to restricted freedom with direction.

He left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing a restriction of freedom with a referral to an open-type correctional facility with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Maxim, a senior energy dispatcher at Belarusian Railways, was arrested in the fall of 2021 as part of a criminal case brought against factory employees who supported the strike and were part of the "Rabochy Rukh" (Workers' Movement) initiative.
On September 21, 2021, this initiative was designated an extremist organization, following which mass arrests of workers took place across the country.

Released in November 2021 under a surety.

Darina was found guilty in September 2021 of "insulting a government official" for a comment she left on the "Punishermen of Belarus" Telegram channel about a riot police officer. However, neither his name nor the comment itself were disclosed in court.

Dmitry was found guilty in September 2021 of "insulting a government official" for a comment he left on the social media site Odnoklassniki under a photo of Igor Volnich, a traffic police officer from the Gantsevichi District Department of Internal Affairs, pinning a detainee to the ground with his knee.

Vadim was detained on July 27, 2021, near his home in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "insulting a government official."

It is also known that Vadim wrote a book about the protests.

In October 2021, he was found guilty of two criminal charges for a series of comments left in the "KYKY Backstage" Telegram channel chat between April and June 2021 and sentenced to restricted freedom in an open-type facility.

Vadim left Belarus before he began serving his sentence.

Olga, a former employee of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' Security Department, was convicted in September 2021 for a comment she left on social media under a photograph of a police officer from Babruisk: "It's because of jerks like these that people don't like cops," which, according to the prosecution, insulted him. She was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility and ordered to pay compensation. It is also known that after her arrest and interrogation, Olga was fired from her job.

Pavel was convicted in September 2021 for a comment he left on the Euroradio Telegram channel following a report about the death of Alexander Petrusevich, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Mogilev Region Department of Internal Affairs. According to the prosecution, his comment was intended to publicly insult a government official in connection with the performance of his official duties.

In October 2024, a court hearing was held on the issue of "replacing a restriction of freedom without committing him to an open correctional facility." The outcome of the hearing, as well as Pavel's presence, are unknown.

Ekaterina was arrested in September 2021 for painting over 80 bales of haylage, after which a criminal case was opened against her for malicious hooliganism. She was remanded in custody pending trial and placed in a temporary detention facility.

In January 2022, Ekaterina was charged with "gross violation of public order, expressed in an attempt to distract drivers and disrupt traffic," and sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility.

Released from custody in the courtroom after the verdict was announced.

Dmitry, the director of an online musical instrument store and a musician with the Khoroshki ensemble, was recently dismissed from the group due to his civic stance. He refused to participate in concerts held by the Ministry of Culture at the Kupala Theater, as well as other official events.

In August 2021, Dmitry was arrested on charges of running an "underground printing house" that produced unregistered newspapers and leaflets. After a search of his apartment, all the money, including the proceeds from the recent sale of his car, disappeared. Since his arrest, he has been repeatedly subjected to administrative charges, receiving administrative arrests and being held in the Okrestina temporary detention center. Dmitry subsequently left Belarus.

Natalia was detained on the evening of April 29, 2021, after a "concerned citizen" reported to the police that unknown individuals were painting white-red-white flags on buildings on Bogdanovich Street in Minsk. Following her administrative arrest, a criminal case was opened against her and she was released on bail pending trial.

In September 2021, Natalia was convicted of "desecration of buildings and damage to property."

Alexander was detained on the evening of April 29, 2021, after a "concerned citizen" reported to the police that unknown individuals were painting white-red-white flags on buildings on Bogdanovich Street in Minsk. Following his administrative arrest, a criminal case was opened against him and he was released on bail pending trial.

In September 2021, Alexander was convicted of "desecration of buildings and damage to property."

Andrei was convicted of celebrating Maslenitsa (Maslenitsa) at a friend's dacha, where he erected and burned an effigy that, according to the prosecution, resembled Lukashenko. The court deemed this a public insult and a disgrace to Lukashenko's honor and dignity.

Galina was convicted on charges of “active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order” for participating in protests that took place in 2020 in Minsk against the election results and violence in the country by security forces, and sentenced to restriction of freedom without direction.

Natalia was convicted on charges of “active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order” for participating in protests that took place in 2020 in Minsk against the election results and violence in the country by security forces, and sentenced to restriction of freedom without direction.

Maxim, a set designer working with the Korpus cultural center, was arrested on September 2, 2021, following a search of the Korpus building. After serving 10 days of administrative arrest, he was not released but instead was detained on criminal charges of group actions grossly violating public order.

In December 2021, he was convicted of participating in the August 2020 protests and sentenced to restricted freedom in an open facility.

Maxim left Belarus before he began serving his sentence.

In November 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.