Political persecutions

Anna was detained and convicted for participating in a protest against violence in the country and the falsification of the presidential elections - the Unity March, which took place in Grodno on September 6, 2020.

Yevgeny was convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" in a criminal case opened after a protest that took place in Brest on September 13, 2020. During the protest, people sang and danced in circles, and a water cannon was used against them.

In December 2024, it became known that a court hearing in absentia was held regarding Yevgeny to replace the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Yakov was detained in a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests against falsifications in the presidential elections that took place in Brest on August 10, 2020. He was convicted of participating in "mass riots."

Yakov graduated from the Brest Builders' Lyceum and was assigned to work, but was unable to start working due to his detention. In May 2022, the Brest Moscow Court ordered him to pay compensation for failure to work and a state fee.

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 Yakov Shafarenko.

Rodion was arrested and convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" in a criminal case opened after a protest that took place in Brest on September 13, 2020. During the protest, people sang and danced in circles, and a water cannon was used against them.

In February 2025, as part of the special proceedings in Rodion’s case, a court hearing in absentia was held on “replacing the restriction of freedom without sending him to an open-type correctional facility.”

Roberto, a Cuban-born graphic designer, has lived in Belarus for 30 years and has a family and children. He was detained on November 8, 2020, before the start of a protest against violence and the results of the presidential elections in Minsk and received 15 days of administrative arrest.

However, after serving his sentence, he was not released - the man was held in a temporary detention facility for more than a year, after which they tried to deport him to Cuba via Moscow. However, in Russia, he did not board a plane and managed to evacuate to Lithuania.

Andrei was detained in a criminal case opened after a protest that took place in Pinsk on the night of August 9-10, 2020 against falsifications in the presidential elections. He was convicted of participating in "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 Andrei Khveskovets.

Nikolai, an activist and administrator of the Telegram channel "Lida for Life", was detained in Moscow in March 2021 at the request of the Belarusian prosecutor's office, as he was wanted in a criminal case on "organizing or actively participating in group actions that grossly violate public order." He was taken into custody in a pretrial detention center for a month and a half, after which he was released on bail.

After his release, Nikolai was fined 5,000 Russian rubles for violating immigration regulations, and then left Russia for Poland.

Anna, director of the Polish School LLC in Brest, was detained in March 2021 upon her return to Belarus as part of a criminal case on the "glorification of war criminals". The reason for the investigation was an "illegal mass event" in memory of the "damned soldiers" that took place on February 28 in a building rented by the Brest Forum of Polish Local Initiatives and the Polish School.

At the end of May 2021, Anna was released and deported to Poland.

Olga was detained in a criminal case opened after a protest on September 13, 2020 in Brest, where people sang and danced in circles and a water cannon was used against them. She was convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."

Kira is a volunteer from Minsk. In February 2021, she was detained in a criminal case opened for "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" and placed in custody. While in pretrial detention, she lost her child due to deteriorating health caused by harsh detention conditions .

On August 5, 2021, Kira was released on bail, but on August 25, she was summoned to the investigator again. Fearing re-imprisonment, she was forced to leave the country.

Zhanna was convicted for participating in a protest held on September 6, 2020 in Grodno against the falsification of the presidential elections and violence in the country. She was sentenced to serve her sentence in an open-type correctional facility, after which she had to leave Belarus.

In 2024, it became known that a new criminal case had been opened against Zhanna as part of a special proceeding and she had been convicted in absentia under the article on “assistance to extremist activity.”

Pavel, an anarchist activist, was arrested in March 2021 as part of a criminal case against anarchists from the Brest region. He was convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" and "participating in a criminal organization." The charges stemmed from an incident related to the "March of the Non-Parasites," which took place on March 5, 2017, as well as events that occurred outside the Brest Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) in 2016.

In the fall of 2025, another court hearing was held on the charge of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the correctional facility administration," during which Pavel was again sentenced to imprisonment. His total sentence was eight years.

On March 19, 2026, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.

Alexander, an anarchist activist and member of the Free Trade Union, was arrested in March 2021 as part of a criminal case against anarchists from the Brest region. He was convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" and "participating in a criminal organization." The charges stemmed from a 2018 roadblock in Brest during a protest against the construction of a battery plant.

In the fall of 2025, another court hearing was held on the charge of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the correctional facility administration," during which Alexander was again sentenced to imprisonment. His total sentence was seven and a half years.

On March 19, 2026, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.

Alexey was detained and convicted twice for comments left about the security forces after the death of Roman Bondarenko on the Telegram channel "Punishermen of Belarus". Under pressure, he was forced to unlock his phone. They came to the apartment with a search four times, looking for money, weapons, drugs and prohibited symbols, and also seized the equipment.

In December 2021, Alexey managed to escape from the correctional facility and leave the country.

Anastasia was detained and convicted for, according to investigators, scattering about 45 metal screws near the Minsk prosecutor's office on December 13, 2020. As a result, the car driven by the victim Klintsevich ran over them, and two tires were punctured.

She was released after serving her full sentence as determined by the court and deported to the Russian Federation in November 2021.