All persecuted

Galina, a 2D artist at Vizor Games, was arrested in December 2021 as part of a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them." Law enforcement officers recorded a "confession video" with Galina, in which she explained that she subscribed to Telegram channels deemed extremist by the Belarusian authorities and that she participated in protests and roadblocks in August 2020.

In May 2022, Galina was found guilty and sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to an open correctional facility.

Left Belarus.

In October and November 2024, in absentia court hearings were held within the framework of special proceedings on the issue of replacing the appointed sentence.

Business Analyst at EPAM IT company. On December 10, the court arrested Nasuro's manager for 13 days under the article on the distribution of extremist materials (part 2 of article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses). Since December 31, Nasuro has been in pre-trial detention center No. 1. A criminal case was opened against him under the article on gross violation of order (Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code). Denis has 4 children.

Andrei was arrested in September 2021 as part of a criminal case opened for online comments following the deaths of KGB officer Dmitry Fedosyuk and IT specialist Andrei Zeltser in Minsk.

In July 2022, he was transferred to house arrest and soon left Belarus.

Tatyana was detained on November 15, 2021, in the Minsk City Court building while attempting to attend the first trial of political prisoner Olga Zolotareva. She is known to have suffered abuse. Tatyana was sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest three times in a row (a total of 45 days as of December 30, 2021).

The day before Tatyana's release, her father died, but she wasn't even allowed to attend the funeral. On December 31, a judge in the Frunzensky District ordered her release and postponed the hearing until January 3, 2022. From the police station, Tatyana went straight to her father's funeral.

On January 3, 2022, Tatyana was already safely outside of Belarus, while the court sentenced her to another 15 days in absentia.

A tester at EPAM, has two minor children. She was detained on December 16, 2021, as part of a criminal case on group actions that grossly violate public order. Her home was searched. Transferred to a pretrial detention center.

Zlata, a student at BSU's Faculty of Chemistry, was arrested on October 13, 2021, on charges of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them" and placed in pretrial detention.

Zlata became famous after a photograph taken on August 10, 2020, in Nemiga by journalist Olga Shukailo quickly spread across the internet and became a symbol of women's protest.

In December 2021, she was convicted of participating in a post-election protest and sentenced to restricted freedom and sent to an open correctional facility. A Minsk Transport representative was also present at the trial, filing a financial claim against Zlata for all instances of public transportation blockages in Minsk that day. The court ruled to uphold the claim in full.

Zlata was released on bail for 10 days, after which she was able to leave Belarus.

Natalia has been participating in peaceful protests since August 2020. She has been detained and fined three times, as she has a second-degree disability due to epilepsy.

In March 2021, she was summoned to the Frunzensky District Department of Internal Affairs, where she was threatened with criminal charges. Natalia managed to record the incident on a voice recorder. Following this, she was placed under surveillance, and in May 2021, her residence was searched and she was charged with "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in such actions" and "participation in mass riots."

Natalia was forced to leave the country on an urgent basis.

Konstantin was arrested in December 2021 for participating in a student protest that took place on September 1, 2020, in Minsk and placed in pretrial detention.

In March 2022, he was convicted of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them" and sentenced to restricted freedom and placement in an open correctional facility.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In November 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment with serving the sentence in a penal colony.

Danila was arrested in December 2021 for participating in a student protest that took place on September 1, 2020, in Minsk and placed in pretrial detention.

In March 2022, he was convicted of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them" and sentenced to restricted freedom and placement in an open correctional facility.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In November 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment with serving the sentence in a penal colony.

Defendant of the so-called "round dance case" concerning the protest action on September 13, 2020 in Brest. Igor was detained on December 1, 2021 and placed in a pre-trial detention center.

From August 12 to 14, 2020, Evgeny was a member of an opposition group on the Telegram messenger.

In early July 2021, he was summoned to the Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, where he was given a warning and then released. Subsequently, searches were conducted at his residence, during which equipment was seized.

From August 5 to 8, 2021, Yevgeny was held in a temporary detention facility in Gomel. During this period, conditions included the absence of a mattress, warm clothing, and food parcels, as well as regular nighttime wake-ups every two hours for check-ups. He was prohibited from sitting or lying down during the day, and was kept in solitary confinement for the entire duration of his stay.

GUBOPiK officers exerted pressure, including threats of placement in a pre-trial detention facility and the possible removal of the child and placement in an orphanage.

Evgeniy was forced to leave the country with his family.

Stanislav was arrested on November 24, 2021, on administrative charges. However, after serving his sentence, he was not released from the temporary detention facility and was transferred to a pretrial detention center for a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in such actions."

In March 2022, he was found guilty of participating in post-election protests that took place in 2020 and sentenced to restricted freedom in an open correctional facility.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In February 2025, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

In December 2021, Andrei was found guilty of insulting Vladimir Kozlovsky, a police officer from Grodno who fell during a brawl on May 29, 2020, at a picket to collect signatures for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's nomination as a presidential candidate.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Regina, the founder of the Ivye Museum of National Cultures, was found guilty in September 2021 of "insulting a government official" for comments she left on Telegram addressed to Andrei Erokhin, Deputy Head of the Ivye District Executive Committee's Department of Internal Affairs, and Valery Gorbach, Senior Inspector.

On February 2, 2022, it was reported that she had been arrested for 10 days for violating the rules of her home confinement. While serving her sentence, Regina went on a hunger strike. It was also reported that she had been placed in solitary confinement.

In March 2022, Regina was visited more than 25 times for inspections. She was unable to obtain permission to travel to Lida to purchase craft supplies and was effectively unable to work. Additional restrictions were also announced, including a ban on visiting churches and a number of household restrictions.

After another arrest and being held in a pretrial detention facility under harsh conditions, Regina was forced to leave Belarus.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding "on replacing the restriction of freedom without sending to an open-type correctional facility."

Alexander was arrested in October 2021 in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them."

In January 2022, he was convicted of participating in a post-election protest that took place in August 2020 in Minsk and sentenced to restricted freedom and sent to an open correctional facility.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with a referral to a correctional facility with imprisonment in a penal colony.