All persecuted

Natalia, a citizen of Belarus and Switzerland, was detained on September 19, 2020, during the Women's March, a protest in Minsk. During her arrest, she tried to free herself and tore off the balaclava of a riot police officer. As a result, she was charged and convicted of "resisting a police officer."

In September 2021, the court changed Natalia's detention regime to prison.

She was released on February 18, 2022, thanks to diplomatic efforts by the Swiss authorities.

Andrey was detained for riding a bicycle slightly behind a column of cyclists participating in a protest bike ride on August 7, 2020. According to investigators, he violated traffic rules: his bicycle was not equipped with a rear-view mirror or a horn. The traffic police demanded that he stop, but Andrey did not respond, drove around the police officer and continued driving, trying to escape. He was ultimately convicted of allegedly resisting a police officer.

On August 27, 2022, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Evgeny was detained and convicted for a clash with the police during a protest that took place on the night of August 9-10, 2020 in Borisov against falsifications in the presidential elections.

In 2021, he was transferred to a prison regime, and in 2023, he was re-convicted of “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional institution,” a charge often applied to prisoners who refuse to cooperate with prison authorities.

According to human rights activists, Evgeny was released in early February 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court, since preventive supervision was established over him in January.

Vladislav was convicted of resisting riot police during a protest that took place in Molodechno on June 19, 2020. He was with several dozen city residents who tried to prevent the detention of participants in the peaceful assembly.

On July 9, 2023, he was released, having fully served the sentence imposed by the court.

Pavel was arrested in September 2020 and convicted of resisting riot police during a protest that took place in Molodechno on June 19, 2020. He was among several dozen city residents who tried to prevent the arrest of participants in the peaceful assembly.

In June 2022, Pavel was convicted again for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution,” and an additional year of imprisonment was added to his sentence. This article applies to prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration, on fabricated charges.

On February 28, 2024, he was released after serving his full sentence as determined by the court.

In December 2024, it became known that Pavel was detained again .

Alexander is a public and cultural figure, a local historian. He organized an art plein air, Belarusian language courses "Mova Nanova" and erected a monument to the rebels of Kastus Kalinouski. He was detained in a criminal case related to the Oshmyany customs office and convicted on trumped-up charges for his civic position. He belonged to a group of four customs officers who did not admit their guilt.

He was released in March 2021, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Ivan was arrested in October 2019 and convicted of attacks on the buildings of Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 and the Minsk City Court in Minsk in solidarity with political prisoners. He was initially sentenced to 7 years in prison, but after an appeal, the term was reduced to 3.5 years. In February 2021, he was transferred to prison until the end of his sentence.

He was released on parole on January 29, 2022. According to the document issued upon release, his term of imprisonment was reduced by 1 year as part of the amnesty of May 15, 2020. The remaining part of the term was taken into account according to the scheme: 1.5 days in a pretrial detention center for 1 day in a penal colony.

Andrey was first detained on the evening of August 9, 2020, when he intervened to protect an elderly man who was being beaten by a group of people in balaclavas on the street of Soligorsk. He was beaten and arrested, sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest for participating in a rally that began only two hours after his detention and in a different area.

In December 2020, Andrei joined the strike committee of Belaruskali, where he worked as an electrical fitter. Later, due to the threat of arrest, Andrei left for Russia, but was detained at the request of the Belarusian authorities, who accused him of using violence against the police, with the purpose of extradition.

On June 24, 2021, after the maximum period of detention on this charge expired, he was released.

In 2024, Andrei was tried in absentia and convicted of “violence or threat of violence against an employee of the internal affairs agencies.”

Alexey is a Belarusian MMA fighter, multiple world champion in kickboxing and Thai boxing, and Honored Master of Sports of Belarus. He was detained on August 10, 2020, on the central square in Molodechno. After two weeks in the police department and pretrial detention center, he was released under house arrest. When Alexey failed to appear for his first court hearing on November 19, 2020, he was put on the wanted list.

In January 2021, he was detained in Moscow and six months later extradited to Belarus, despite a ban by the European Court of Human Rights. Alexey was convicted on charges of resisting police officers.

On December 28, 2022, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Andrei was detained in Moscow as part of a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests that took place on August 10, 2020 in Brest against falsifications in the presidential elections.

He was released on January 10, 2022, due to the expiration of the maximum period of detention - 12 months under Russian law.

Nikita was detained and severely beaten in September 2020. He was convicted of participating in protests that took place in Minsk from August 9 to 11 and September 13, 2020. According to the case materials, Nikita planned to participate in the protests, discussing routes and actions in case of detention in the Telegram chat "Chas X". The investigation claimed that an attack on police officers was being prepared.

In 2022, the pressure on Nikita increased: he was repeatedly placed in a punishment cell and a PKT. It is known that from June 30, 2023, he spent six months in a cell-type room. In the fall of 2023, a new criminal case was opened against him for "malicious disobedience to the administration of a correctional institution" - an article under which prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the administration are tried for fictitious violations. The trial began on November 3 and ended in January 2024, adding another year of imprisonment to his term.

According to human rights activists, he was released on March 10, 2025.

Sergei was detained on December 5, 2020 and convicted of setting fire to the Tabakerka kiosk in Zhodino.

In the colony, he was repeatedly punished, including being placed in a punishment cell for writing poetry and refusing to work for free, and also received penalties for minor violations.

On August 19, 2023, Sergei was released, having fully served the sentence imposed by the court.

Viktor, a member of the initiative group of presidential candidate Viktor Babariko, an independent observer at the 2020 elections at the Khatezhino polling station and a volunteer, was detained on December 6, 2020. He was convicted of hanging effigies with photographs of the Minister of Internal Affairs and the chairman of the Khatezhino election commission on the bridge with the inscription "We will not forget, we will not forgive!", as well as for applying images of the Belarusian coat of arms "Pahonia" to the structures and supports of the bridge.

He was released in September 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Yegor was detained on August 9, 2020, during a protest in Minsk against the falsification of the presidential elections. That evening, he stood on the bumper of a paddy wagon, but then fell under its wheels. After that, riot police beat him, and Yegor was sent to the hospital, where he remained until the end of August. He was later taken into custody and convicted of participating in the protest.

He was released on April 30, 2022, having fully served his sentence.

Kirill was detained on October 4, 2020, after the "March for the Liberation of Political Prisoners" that took place in Minsk. He was later convicted of participating in the protests.

On September 18, 2023, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.