Volodymyr Yanukevich, 65, served as director and editor-in-chief of the independent regional newspaper Intex-Press. Andriy Pokolenko, 44, served as deputy development director for the same media outlet. After the newspaper's closure, they created the news website BAR24. The website went down in January 2025.
Vladimir Yanukovych has previously been persecuted . He was twice tried and fined under the Code of Administrative Offenses for publishing an interview with Tikhanovskaya, and in February 2023, security forces raided the premises of Intex-Press Publishing House.
In addition to the imprisonment and a large fine, as reported by the Belarusian Association of Journalists, “there is information about a huge total fine of approximately 200,000 rubles (approximately 60,000 euros).”
Employees of the Baranovichi media outlet BAR24 were detained in December 2024. Law enforcement officers searched their homes and the city portal's editorial office, seizing equipment. Several were released, while the rest faced criminal charges.
After the sentence comes into effect, it is only possible to write letters to a prisoner. According to article 85 of the Penal Enforcement Code, prisoners cannot receive money transfers from persons who are not family members. Parcels are also only possible from relatives. If you want to help, help families directly, if this option is available on the prisoner's card.
How to write a letter
✏️ A postcard with words of encouragement (a poem by your favorite author, song lyrics, or a beautiful quote). Trust us, even such simple gestures are very meaningful to a person in jail.
✏️ Your life events. To a person who is in isolation for a long time, any story about your routine endeavors will be a window into normal life. Your day-to-day worries and mundane matters are much more interesting than the daily grind of life behind bars.
✏️ It is important to share news. Mention the most notable and interesting occurrences depending on your pen-pal's interests.
✍️️ Remember that every letter is censored. This means that your letters are read by strangers whose main goal is to limit inmates' access to information or to use it against the prisoners or even you.
So try to avoid:
👉️️ harsh statements regarding ongoing political matters
👉 statements against the authorities and public servants
👉 foul language
👉 discussion of the circumstances of the criminal case
To ensure that none of political prisoners are left without attention and support the site has a function of verified sendings.
Please attach a photo or a screenshot for transfer verification. The new transfer will be posted on the site as soon as it is verified by the moderator!
Support actions
You can upload an image from the support event, and after passing moderation we will publish it.
Respond to help those released
Do you want to help a released political prisoner? Send your contact to Telegram and we will contact you.
A Keeper means you want to regularly help a specific person in prison through their family. Choose a political prisoner and click «Become a Keeper», our team will contact you shortly.
You can request the letters that we have in storage, for this, leave your telegram account for feedback, we will contact you and, after verifying your identity, we will transfer the archive with your letters.
Are you a relative or someone close to a political prisoner? Send us a short description and your Telegram contact for feedback. After data verification we will publish your relative on the website.
Do you have information about administrative prosecution? Please send us a short description and your Telegram contact for feedback. After checking the data, we will publish your information on the site.
Please leave your contact on Telegram and describe your skills in as much detail as possible. After moderation, your CV will be published on the website.
Multi upload allows you to send confirmations with one photo to several political prisoners at once, check the selected people before sending!
Please attach a photo or a screenshot for transfer verification. The new transfer will be posted on the site as soon as it is verified by the moderator!
Write to representatives
Correct translation
Application for assistance in employment or retraining
Please complete the questionnaire to enter the first stage of an interview to determine your individual needs.
