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Since 2020, Elena has been subjected to systematic politically motivated persecution: she has been detained and arrested 17 times under administrative law and fined a total of 173 basic units. Her home has been searched repeatedly.
In May 2021, Elena was convicted of "participating in group actions grossly violating public order" in a criminal case opened following a protest on September 13, 2020, in Brest, where participants were singing songs and dancing in circles when a water cannon was used against them. According to the prosecution, the protest disrupted public transportation. She was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility.
In September of that year, Elena was convicted again for "insulting Lukashenko." The combined sentence amounted to three years of house arrest.
In January 2022, she was arrested for "violating a sentence" and sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest. However, she was never released—she was transferred to a pretrial detention center as part of a new criminal case opened for slandering Lukashenko and discrediting the Republic of Belarus. In June, she was sentenced to imprisonment and a large fine.
In April 2023, Elena was convicted again under the article "malicious disobedience of the demands of the prison administration." This article is often applied to prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration, for fictitious violations.
It is known that Elena is constantly subjected to physical and psychological pressure. She is regularly placed in solitary confinement and isolation cells, deprived of almost all packages, phone calls, and visits, and her grocery allowance has been reduced from three basic units to one.
In February 2025, Polina Sharendo-Panasyuk reported that Elena had been placed back in the punishment cell : "After several weeks in solitary confinement, she was transferred to the punishment cell. There's a 99% chance they'll trumped up Article 411 against her again."
On December 13, 2025, she was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
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Denis, an activist and truck driver, was arrested on April 26, 2021, as part of a criminal case opened under the article “conspiracy or other actions committed with the aim of seizing state power.”
In early June 2022, the KGB completed its preliminary investigation, after which it became known that new charges had been brought against him. In September 2022, Denis was convicted of "active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."
He was released in January 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
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Alexander, a neurologist, worked in Norilsk, Russia. He was detained in May 2021 upon his return to Belarus in connection with a criminal case opened for insulting law enforcement officials.
In January 2022, he was convicted under three criminal articles for comments addressed to 32 officials. As Alexander himself explained, he left them emotionally, since during the August 2020 protests he volunteered near the detention center on Okrestina. In addition to imprisonment, the court ordered him to pay moral compensation in favor of 20 employees. At the hearing, it also became known that one of the victims in the case beat Alexander during his arrest.
In November 2022, he was convicted again under the articles “insulting a government official” and “threatening violence against an official.”
On April 3, 2024, his punishment was increased and he was transferred to prison.
He was released in November 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
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Yevgeny was convicted for participating in a protest action - the March for the Liberation of Political Prisoners, which took place on October 4, 2020 in Minsk, during which he struck the outer cell of the temporary detention facility on Okrestina Street twice. However, there was no damage to the cell.
Released in September 2021 as part of a pardon.
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Alla was convicted of 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.
Galina 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.
According to human rights activists, she was released in January 2024, having fully served her sentence imposed by the court.
Vitaly was convicted in a criminal case opened after a protest held on August 10, 2020 in Novopolotsk against the falsification of the presidential elections, for "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order", and was sentenced to restriction of freedom. However, in June, he was released from the correctional facility pending appeal, as the prosecutor filed a protest. In late June, his sentence was changed to imprisonment.
Vitaly left Belarus.
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Igor was detained on October 23, 2020, as part of a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests on August 10, 2020 in Brest against falsifications in the presidential elections. Three days later, he was released on bail, but in April 2021, he was remanded in custody. Igor was subsequently convicted of participating in "mass riots."
He was released in November 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
Vyacheslav was detained at his home on March 10, 2021. After waiting for his parents to leave, the security forces broke down the door, conducted a search without their presence, put Vyacheslav on the floor and beat him.
He was accused of participating in protests that took place in Minsk in August–September 2020 against election fraud and violence by security forces. Vyacheslav was convicted under the article on “group actions grossly violating public order” and sentenced to a restriction of freedom.
In June 2022, his punishment was toughened, and he was transferred to a penal colony before the end of his term.
He was released in March 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
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Valentin 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. After the detention, the man felt ill and was taken under escort to the Pinsk Central Hospital, where he was diagnosed with a pre-infarction condition and placed in intensive care. As soon as his condition improved, he was transferred to a temporary detention facility and later convicted of participating in "mass riots."
He was released in August 2024 under a pardon.
Dmitry was arrested in March 2021 and convicted for standing up for a woman in Zhodino in September 2020 who was hit by a police officer, causing her to fall to the ground.
He was released in December 2021, having fully served his sentence as imposed by the court.
Andrei, a technician at the Institute of Meat and Dairy Industry, was convicted for comments left on the Telegram channel “Punishermen of Belarus” addressed to Dmitry Balaba, the commander of the OMON of the Main Directorate of Internal Affairs of the Minsk City Executive Committee.
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Olga, an employee of the Minsk office of lawyer Yuri Zenkovich, was detained on April 12, 2021, as part of a criminal case initiated under the article “conspiracy or other actions committed with the aim of seizing state power.”
In early June 2022, the KGB completed its preliminary investigation, after which it became known that new charges had been brought against her. In September 2022, Olga was convicted of "active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."
She was released in December 2022, having fully served her sentence as determined by the court.
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Sergei, a journalist for the online publication Pershi Region, was arrested on December 22, 2020, in connection with a case of insulting Lukashenko. Three days later, he was placed under house arrest and in May 2021, he was released on bail pending trial.
In August 2021, Sergei was convicted of “insulting and slandering Lukashenko” and “insulting a government official.”
He was released in October 2022, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
In September 2023, he was detained again after returning from Poland and sentenced to 15 days for “distributing extremist materials.”
In January 2024, he was arrested again - for reposting from the Gantsavitsky Chas website on VKontakte, although the account had been deleted in November 2023. The court did not take into account either this or Sergei's deteriorating health: he lost consciousness and sought medical attention.
Lidiya was convicted for reposting information concerning Tatyana Alantieva, the head of the election commission, to a Telegram channel. The information in question was a protocol with the voting results that she had drawn up while performing her duties at one of the polling stations.
According to human rights activists, she was released in October 2022, having fully served her sentence imposed by the court.