Political persecutions

Viktor is a Belarusian businessman and public figure. He founded the international foundation "Chance" and initiated the "Teart" and "Art-Belarus" projects, which helped bring works of art back to the country. Under his leadership, Belgazprombank became one of the largest banks in Belarus. In 2020, he ran for president, attracting widespread support. As a result, he was arrested in June 2020 and later convicted of economic crimes.

On December 13, 2025, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, and taken to Ukraine.

He was allegedly arrested on January 19, 2021 and later convicted for a comment on Telegram.

Ukrainian citizen Mikhail was detained on September 16, 2020 and spent seven months in the temporary detention facility on Okrestina. He was charged with participating in three marches and organizing protest activities through the Telegram channel "Brave People", including writing protest inscriptions and hanging white-red-white ribbons.

He was released on December 16, 2023, after serving his full sentence, but was immediately arrested again in Mogilev.

Released on February 1, 2024, Mikhail was forced to leave Belarus.

Vadim, an architect, was detained and beaten during a memorial event for Roman Bondarenko on Change Square on November 15, 2020, and hospitalized with injuries. He pleaded not guilty, saying that participating in the event was his civic duty, and was convicted of “participating in group actions that grossly violate public order.”

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

On March 15, 2024, a “special case” was opened against Vadim, and in the summer he was charged in absentia with “conspiracy to seize power,” “assisting extremist activity,” and “creating an extremist group.”

An activist of the European Belarus movement and a principled opponent of the current regime, Maksim has been repeatedly subjected to repression for his peaceful opposition activities: fines, arrests, attacks and intimidation. On January 22, 2021, he was detained and convicted of “preparing for mass riots.”

On September 11, 2025, it became known that 52 prisoners of the Belarusian regime were forcibly transferred to the territory of Lithuania. Among them are citizens of European countries . Among those released is Maksim Viniarsky.

Victoria, the administrator of the "Drivers 97%" channel, was detained on November 4, 2020, in Minsk by GUBOPiK officers and convicted of "calling for mass riots and roadblocks due to dissatisfaction with the government and election fraud."

In 2022 and 2023, the court twice increased her sentence, accusing her of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the correctional facility administration." Victoria had repeatedly been subjected to pressure in the penal colony and was deemed a "malicious violator."

In October 2024, in the Rechitsa District Court, Victoria was convicted for the third time under the article "malicious disobedience to the lawful demands of the penal colony administration" and sentenced to another year of imprisonment.

In early 2025, Polina Sharendo-Panasyuk reported that Victoria and Elena Gnauk had been placed in a punishment cell: "After several weeks in solitary confinement, they were transferred to a punishment cell. There's a 99% chance they'll be charged again under Article 411."

Polina also added: "Viktoria Kulsha's kidneys have probably already failed. She went on hunger strikes for months, refusing water and drink. She slit her wrists. They threw her in solitary confinement for this—she slit her wrists in solitary confinement. She went on hunger strikes in the PKT. She refused medical attention."

Victoria was scheduled to be released in April 2025 upon completion of her sentence. However, at the beginning of the month, she was transferred to Gomel Pretrial Detention Center No. 3 as part of a fourth criminal case under the article "malicious disobedience of the legal demands of the prison administration." In June of that year, her sentence was extended by another year.

On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, and taken to Ukraine.

On the night of August 10-11, 2020, Alexandra was detained in Minsk. She went out to help people who had suffered from the actions of security forces, but was faced with shelling and mass detentions. Alexandra spent three days in the Okrestina detention center, where she was tortured, including beatings and threats of sexual violence. She was then released, but on October 16, 2020, she was arrested again as part of a criminal case, accused of participating in "group actions that grossly violate public order."

An anesthesiologist working at the Emergency Hospital in Minsk was detained on November 19, 2020 and convicted for allegedly disclosing medical secrets regarding the condition of Raman Bondarenko, who was brutally beaten by security forces in the courtyard of his home and died in hospital from cerebral edema.

The leader of the public organization "Alternative" was detained on October 25, 2020 and convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."

Young Front activist. He was detained on August 10, 2020 and later accused of participating in the events that took place on August 9 in Minsk. He left Belarus.

Akihiro, an anarchist activist, was detained in August 2020 in Minsk and charged with participating in “mass riots” and other “crimes.”

In 2022, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. In February 2023, the Supreme Court reduced the sentence by three months.

In July 2024, it became known that his sentence had been tightened and he had been transferred to a prison regime.

On June 21, 2025, Akihiro was released after a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, Keith Kellogg, and was immediately taken to Lithuania.

A manager at a furniture company and volunteer, she was arrested on September 25, 2020 and convicted of cleanup during protests.

Sergei, an activist of the Narodnaya Hramada party, was detained by police on June 25, 2020, using force. The basis for the detention was a previously issued administrative arrest for 15 days for laying flowers at the Military Cemetery in Minsk on May 8, as well as the events that took place on May 29, 2020 in Grodno. He was accused of preparing to participate in "mass riots" and obstructing the work of the Central Election Commission.

On September 11, 2025, it became known that 52 prisoners of the Belarusian regime were forcibly transferred to the territory of Lithuania. Among them are citizens of European countries. Among those released is Sergei Sparysh

Pavel is a Belarusian opposition politician and co-founder of the Belarusian Christian Democracy party. He was detained in June 2020 and subsequently received several administrative arrests for participating in election pickets. Pavel was later convicted of organizing mass riots.

In June 2023, he was transferred to prison regime.

Dmitry, a blogger for the YouTube channel "Seryi Kot", was detained on June 10, 2020, along with activists from "European Belarus". He was sentenced to 20 days of administrative arrest, but after that he remained under arrest and became a defendant in a criminal case. He was subsequently convicted of "preparing to participate in mass riots".

Dmitry was supposed to be released at the end of November 2024, but he was convicted again for "malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration." Under this article, prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration are tried for fictitious violations.

On September 11, 2025, it became known that 52 prisoners of the Belarusian regime were forcibly transferred to the territory of Lithuania. Among them are citizens of European countries. Among those released is Dmitry Kozlov.