Political prisoners

Former director of the BelaPAN news agency. He was detained on July 18 after a search and interrogation at the Investigative Committee. On August 28, 2021, he was transferred to SIZO-1.

Andrey, a construction worker and decorator, was arrested in July 2021 in a criminal case related to the "Busly Lyatsyats" initiative. Some of the charges involved damaging the car of a Borisov district judge. As a result, he was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment and a fine.

In September 2024, Andrei was convicted again under the article on “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional institution.” This article is often applied to prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration and provides for punishment for imaginary violations. As a result, his total sentence was increased to 17 years.

Andrei is survived by three children and a wife who has serious health problems.

A resident of the Minsk region. The reason for the arrest was a visit to the entrance where a police officer lives. He served in the 103rd unit in Vitebsk, collaborated with Baypol.

10/17/2023 transferred to prison regime.

On September 27, his trial will begin in the Leninsky District Court of Mogilev under Part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code.

Anarchist. Detained on July 29, 2021. His apartment was searched, and during the arrest he was beaten. Demanding access to the phone and computer, the guy pulled a bag over his head. During the transfer to the pre-trial detention center, all books were taken from Yevgeny Rubashko and put on a preventive record as prone to extremism, which means making a note in a personal file, special treatment and additional work with a psychologist.

In February 2023, Yevgeny Rubashko was transferred for a month to a cell-type room in IK No. 2. Prior to that, he was placed in a ShIZO three times for 10, 7 and 7 days for far-fetched violations of internal regulations. After being kept in the PKT, Yevgeny was again placed in the ShIZO for a total of 17 days.

In Bobruisk on April 19, 2023, the court transferred the political prisoner to the prison regime .

At the beginning of May 2023, it became known that Evgeniy had been transferred to Prison No. 8 in Zhodzina.

Alexander was detained early in the morning of July 29, 2021, as he was leaving his home. He was beaten during the detention, his home was searched, and then he was taken to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, where he was tortured and beaten.

He was initially accused of actively participating in a protest on August 23, 2020, although by that time he had served an administrative arrest for that incident.

In January 2022, it became known that Sasha and other defendants in the criminal case were charged with additional charges under Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code - participation in an extremist group for subscribing to the Pramen Telegram channel. It is known that at the time of Belov's arrest, Pramen was not included in the list of extremist groups; this happened only in November 2021.

First, he graduated from college with a degree in construction, then from BNTU with a degree in Engineering Geodesy.

Since his youth, he has been a fan of MTZ-RIPO. He played in the DIY league football team, did Thai boxing and mountaineering.

Dmitry was arrested in July 2021 in connection with a criminal case involving an attempted assassination of propagandist Grigory Azarenok under the article "Act of Terrorism." According to the prosecution, he committed "deliberate actions aimed at preparing an act of terrorism against Azarenok." Various options were considered, including forcibly coercing him into recording a video message.

Dmitry was the only defendant in the case who did not plead guilty. At his trial, he stated that he was drawn into the crime during an investigative experiment. He claimed that after his arrest, he was subjected to violence and torture, forced to sign a confession. During interrogation, he sustained serious injuries to his hands, which now prevents him from working full-time. At the first hearing, he also announced his desire to renounce his Belarusian citizenship, as he "has no connection to terrorism."

In December 2022, Dmitry was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony, as well as a large fine.

Alexey was detained on July 1, 2021, in Minsk by officers from the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK). The following day, the court sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest, but instead of release, he was transferred to a pretrial detention center. He became a defendant in a criminal case for group actions grossly violating public order.

The case was heard under four articles of the Criminal Code: "organizing mass riots," "creating an extremist group," "inciting social hatred," and "insulting a government official." The trial was held behind closed doors, and the details of the charges are unknown.

In April 2022, the court sentenced Alexey to 11 years in prison. After the trial, pro-government channels published a video claiming that Alexey was the administrator of the Telegram chat "Cascade." A video about him had previously been filmed on TUT.BY.

In July 2023, it became known that he was in pre-trial detention, and on August 11, 2023, he was again found guilty in a new case of “creating an extremist group,” adding another 6 months to his sentence.

Vadim served administrative arrests in August and October 2020. His latest arrest occurred on June 28, 2021, as part of a criminal case related to an incident at a Russian Navy communications facility near Vileika.

According to the prosecution's case presented in court, Vadim and Alexey Glotov, "dressed in camouflage and armed with firearms, entered the military facility and planted explosive devices with a blast radius of up to 11 meters." One of them failed to detonate and was defused. An expert examination revealed that the devices were initiated using a delayed-action mechanism.

The damage was estimated at over 26,000 rubles. It was also reported that Vadim "planned to travel to Ukraine for military training."

In December 2022, he was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a maximum security penal colony and a large fine.

In 2025, a court hearing was held to discuss the issue of changing the prison regime, as a result of which Vadim was transferred to a prison regime.

Igor is a journalist for Belsat TV. He previously worked for the newspaper "Belorusy i Rynok" (Belarusians and the Market) and the Belarusian service of Radio Svaboda. He has also published in Russian and Ukrainian publications. Together with his wife, journalist Ekaterina Andreyeva, he wrote the book "Belarusian Donbass," a study of the role of Belarusians in the war in eastern Ukraine.

He was first detained on July 16, 2021, during mass searches of independent journalists on charges of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order or actively participating in them." His apartment was searched, his equipment and books were seized, and he was then placed in a temporary detention facility. He was released on July 26.

In October 2024, news of his second arrest broke . Pro-government Telegram channels published a photo of Igor in handcuffs and a video in which he claimed he was being persecuted for an interview with media outlets deemed "extremist" in Belarus. Shortly before his arrest, in a commentary to the Dozhd TV channel, he noted that "Putin has embarked on a course of sharp escalation and is leading the country toward all-out war," while Lukashenko, in his opinion, "most likely does not want to participate directly in it, but is forced to face increasing pressure from the Kremlin."

In February 2025, Igor was charged with "discrediting Belarus" and "assisting extremist activity." The trial began on February 21 in Minsk. The court rejected the request for an independent expert examination, and on September 5 of that year, the journalist was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

Tatyana is a co-founder of the Sympa school for young public administration managers, an expert in the Bipart research project, and a Master of Political Science.

She was detained in Minsk on the night of June 28-29, 2021, at the airport while going through passport control to leave the country. It is known that Tatyana was going to fly on a night flight to Tbilisi. It later became known that she was detained in connection with an initiated criminal case. Tatyana was taken to the temporary detention facility on Okrestina, and a few days later transferred to a pretrial detention center.

On February 6, 2023, the court began considering her case on charges of "aiding actions aimed at seizing power," "calling for actions that harm national security," and "inciting social hatred." On March 17 of the same year, the court sentenced Tatyana in a closed session to 10 years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

Sergei, a retired lieutenant colonel who participated in a video message from reserve officers to the Belarusian military, was detained on July 16, 2021, following a search of his home.

According to Lukashenko's decree, he was stripped of his military rank after 28 years of impeccable service in the Armed Forces. Sergei is a father of four children, two of whom are minors.

In December 2021, he was charged with organizing, preparing, or actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order. Sergei was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility and released in the courtroom.

Yegor was arrested in February 2021 and later convicted of setting fire to a T-72 tank aboard a military train at the Stepyanka railway station. According to the case file, on the night of January 31, 2021, he threw a Molotov cocktail with the inscription "OGSB" at the tank. His actions were classified as an "act of terrorism." According to the prosecution, Yegor committed the arson based on his political views.

In early October 2023, it was announced that Yegor had been transferred to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in connection with a new criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation therein." In this case, he was sentenced to an additional six months in prison.

Valentyn, a member of the Viasna Council and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), is one of the most renowned human rights experts and analysts. He actively advocates for non-discrimination and against the death penalty, and has participated in international conferences, human rights missions, and election observation missions in OSCE countries.

On July 14, 2021, following a search of his apartment, he was taken away for questioning and then remanded in custody as part of a criminal case under the articles "tax evasion" and "organizing actions that grossly violate public order."

In September 2022, the tax evasion case was dropped, but new charges were brought against Valentin: smuggling and financing group activities that grossly violate public order.

On October 27, 2022, during the 41st Congress of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Valentin Stefanovic was re-elected as Vice-President of the organization.

In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation. Valentin pleaded not guilty in court.

According to available information, the conditions of detention were tightened and he was transferred to prison regime.

Anton, a volunteer for the Country for Life foundation and the Angel search squad, was detained on July 9, 2021, as part of a "KGB operation to purge radicals" and placed in pretrial detention on charges of financing the activities of an extremist group.

In October 2022, he was charged with "conspiracy to seize state power through unconstitutional means," and in November of that year, Anton was sentenced to imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony.

Ruslan was first detained on August 10, 2020, during a protest in Brest against falsifications in the presidential elections. After a brutal beating, he was hospitalized and then sentenced to 7 days of administrative arrest. A criminal case was later opened against him, but he left the country during the investigation.

Upon returning to Belarus, Ruslan attempted to cross the border into the European Union, but was detained. In November 2021, he was convicted of participating in “mass riots.”

In July 2024, he was convicted again, this time for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional institution.” This article is used to try prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration, based on fictitious violations.