Pavel had previously been subjected to political persecution. In 2008, he was implicated in the so-called "Case of the Fourteen," initiated for participating in a business rally, and was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom without a prison sentence. Since 2010, Pavel has been an activist for the "Tell the Truth" campaign.
Following a protest against election fraud, he was arrested on January 5, 2011. He was accused of organizing and participating in mass riots, as well as desecrating state symbols. In May 2011, the court sentenced him to four years in a maximum-security penal colony. That fall, Pavel was released under a pardon.
Pavel was arrested again on December 22, 2021, at his home in Berezino, in connection with a criminal case opened under charges of "inciting social discord," "defamation of Lukashenko," and "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them." In March 2022, he was sentenced to imprisonment.
In December 2023, Pavel's detention conditions were tightened and he was transferred to a prison regime.
On September 11, 2025, it was announced that 52 prisoners of the Belarusian regime had been forcibly transferred to Lithuania, including citizens of European countries. Pavel was among those released.
