All persecuted

Vyacheslav was arrested in the summer of 2021 as part of a criminal case opened under the articles "inciting hatred or discord" and "illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life."

In March 2022, he was convicted of transmitting information about law enforcement officials to an opposition Telegram channel. Vyacheslav was also stripped of his special rank of "lieutenant colonel of justice" in the reserves.

Pavel was first convicted in May 2021 for "insulting Lukashenko" and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony. He was released in May 2022, having served his full sentence.

Pavel was detained again in the spring of 2024 on suspicion of collaborating with the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. This was reported on the program "All About the Case" on the state-run television channel Belarus 4. Mogilev. In the published video, Pavel claims to have filmed the deployment of Iskander missiles to pass on to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and also reads a text presented as an oath of allegiance to Ukraine.

In November 2024, he faced a series of court hearings under the articles "participation in an armed group or armed conflict, military operations on the territory of a foreign state, recruitment or training of persons for such participation" and "treason." The outcome of the cases is unknown.

Natalia was arrested in June 2021 on suspicion of planning to set fire to logging equipment. The arrest took place in the evening right on the forestry farm grounds, where she allegedly arrived with her accomplice, Gordeyev, who was actually on assignment from state security agencies.

According to the prosecution, on the evening of June 8, 2021, Natalia and this man prepared Molotov cocktails, which they planned to use to set fire to the equipment. However, the crime was not completed—Natalia was detained before the arson could be committed.

In court, Natalia testified that she had found herself in a difficult situation: in August 2020, an acquaintance of hers was arrested, she had lost her father, and was experiencing difficulties at work. She also confirmed that she had indeed been a member of the "OGSB" chat group and had intended to destroy logging equipment at the forestry enterprise.

In December 2022, she was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a general regime penal colony with a large fine.

Sergei was arrested in March 2021 and convicted that fall for posting stickers in Vitebsk. According to the prosecution, from October 1, 2020, to March 22, 2021, he engaged in activities aimed at "systematic property damage": using aerosol paint, he spray-painted slogans such as "Long Live Belarus!", "3%," "Red Partisan," "Go Away," and others on Vitebskvodokanal facilities.

In September 2024, another court hearing took place, following which Sergei was transferred to prison.

Dmitry, the former director of the BelaPAN news agency, was detained on August 18, 2021, following a search and questioning by the Investigative Committee. He was initially placed in pretrial detention for 72 hours as part of a criminal case under the article "organizing or preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or participating in them." However, he was not released and was transferred to a pretrial detention center 10 days later. The charge was later amended to tax evasion.

In November 2021, it was revealed that Dmitry had also been charged with "creating an extremist group." In October 2022, he was found guilty of "participating in an extremist group" and "tax evasion," sentenced to imprisonment, imposed a large fine, and banned from holding certain positions for five years.

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.

Roman was arrested in March 2021 as part of a criminal case under the article "Accomplicity in intentional actions aimed at inciting other social hatred and discord based on another social affiliation, committed by a group of persons." He was convicted of leaking information to BYPOL.

"On March 18, 2021, Roman went to a police officer's home to check the address published online and report it to a destructive resource. He entered the building, rang the intercom, met the police officer's husband, and fled. At home, he sent a message to a Telegram channel confirming the address," the investigation documents state.

In the fall of 2023, the conditions of his detention were tightened, and Roman was transferred to a prison regime.

In September 2024, a court hearing was held on the charge of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional facility," during which Roman could have received up to two years of imprisonment; the outcome of the hearing is unknown.

Evgeny is an anarchist activist. He was arrested on July 29, 2021, in Minsk. His apartment was searched, and he was beaten during his arrest. To gain access to his phone and computer, they pulled a bag over Evgeny's head.

During his transfer to the pretrial detention center, all of his books were confiscated and he was placed on a preventative register as someone prone to extremism, which entails a note in his personal file, special treatment, and additional work with a psychologist.

Evgeny was initially charged with "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them." In January 2022, he and other defendants in the criminal case were additionally charged with participating in an extremist group for subscribing to the Telegram channel "Pramen." At the time of his arrest, the channel had not yet been added to the list of extremist groups; this only happened in November 2021.

In April 2022, Yevgeny was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony. In April 2023, his detention regime was tightened, and he was transferred to a prison regime. In October 2025, the court added another year to his prison sentence for "malicious disobedience to the administration's demands."

Alexander is an activist in the anarchist movement. He first studied construction at college, then majored in engineering geodesy at the Belarusian National Technical University. He has been passionate about sports since his youth: he played for a DIY league football team, practiced Muay Thai, and went mountaineering.

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

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

In January 2022, Alexander and other defendants in the criminal case were charged with additional membership in an extremist group for subscribing to the Telegram channel "Pramen." At the time of their arrest, the channel "Pramen" had not yet been added to the list of extremist groups; this was only added in November 2021.

In April 2022, he was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony. In April 2025, Alexander's detention regime was tightened, and he was transferred to a prison regime. It was later revealed that the court had sentenced him to an additional six months in a general regime penal colony for "malicious disobedience to the administration's demands."

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.