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Svetlana is the mother of political prisoner Igor Yermolov, sentenced to five years in a maximum-security penal colony for "preparing for mass unrest." She was accused of insulting a Minsk riot police officer, citing a Facebook comment she allegedly left, and sentenced to restricted freedom and compensation for moral damages.
Nikita was convicted for participating in a post-election protest that took place in Zhlobin on the night of August 9-10, 2020.
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Oleg is a journalist for Radio Svaboda, previously worked for the Znamya Yunosti newspaper, and was one of the founders of the RID news agency. In the summer of 2020, he actively covered the protests in Belarus and conducted live streams. In August, he lost his Foreign Ministry accreditation along with other journalists from foreign media outlets.
On July 16, 2021, he was detained during a large-scale search of independent journalists' homes. He was released ten days later, remaining a suspect. On December 23 of that year, security forces again raided his home and took him into custody on charges of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order or actively participating in them."
In March 2022, the court found Oleg guilty, declaring that he participated in unauthorized protests during which Minsktrans calculated damages of 56,000 rubles.
In September 2022, the journalist was released as part of a pardon.
Igor was convicted in July 2021 in a criminal case opened in connection with the August 2020 events in Minsk. According to the prosecution, he took part in protests that took place in the capital from August 9 to 11, 2020. Minsktrans estimated the damage from the public transportation shutdown during those days at 27,958 rubles 50 kopecks. After the verdict was announced, Igor was taken into custody right in the courtroom.
In May 2025, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
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- Detained under 18 years
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- Detained under 18 years
Maxim was convicted of participating in "mass riots" in a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests against falsifications in the presidential elections that took place on August 10, 2020 in Brest. Before the trial, he was under a written undertaking not to leave the country, but at the trial on July 19, 2021, the measure of restraint was changed and he was taken into custody.
In September 2022, as part of a pardon, his sentence was replaced with "house arrest".
In March 2024, a court hearing was held regarding Maxim “on replacing the restriction of freedom without sending him to an open-type correctional facility.”
Dmitry was convicted of participating in "mass riots" in a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests against falsifications in the presidential elections that took place on August 10, 2020 in Brest. Before the trial, he was under a written undertaking not to leave the country, but at the trial on July 19, 2021, the measure of restraint was changed and he was taken into custody.
He was released in May 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
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Dmitry was convicted of participating in "mass riots" in a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests against falsifications in the presidential elections that took place on August 10, 2020 in Brest. Before the trial, he was under a written undertaking not to leave the country, but at the trial on July 19, 2021, the measure of restraint was changed and he was taken into custody.
According to human rights activists, he was released in May 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Artem was detained in a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests against falsifications in the presidential elections that took place in Brest on August 10, 2020. He was convicted of participating in "mass riots."
He was released in November 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
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- Parents of minors
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Sergei was convicted of leaving graffiti on various sites in Slonim and the Slonim district, including bus stops in the village of Shiloviči, following election fraud and the beating of peaceful protesters in 2020. One of the graffiti on an abandoned wall referred to the head of the local police department and conveyed the message: "The people will not forgive."
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Yulia, a human rights activist and volunteer at the Moscow Center for Civil Society and Information (MCGI) "Our House," and the daughter of renowned human rights activist Natalia Goryachko-Basalyga, was detained on July 14, 2021, as part of a criminal case opened under the article "Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them."
In March 2022, the court found Yulia guilty and sentenced her to imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
Yulia was released in the courtroom. Her time in custody was counted toward her sentence, so her sentence was considered fully served.
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Timur, an activist with the "Honest People" initiative, was arrested on June 16, 2021, at the premiere of the play "White Rabbit, Red Rabbit" and convicted twice under administrative law. After 30 days of administrative arrest, he was not released and was transferred to a pretrial detention center as part of a criminal case opened under the article "Organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order, or active participation therein."
In September 2021, he was found guilty and sentenced to restricted freedom and sent to an open correctional facility.
Timur left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.
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Anastasia was convicted in July 2021 for participating in post-election protests that took place in Minsk in August–September 2020.
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- Twice political prisoners
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- Twice political prisoners
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Alexander is the chairman and founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center and former vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. He is a laureate of the Andrei Sakharov Freedom Prize and other international human rights awards. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times and won it in 2022.
Alexander had previously been prosecuted. On August 4, 2011, he was arrested after Lithuania and Poland handed over his bank account information to Belarusian authorities. He was charged with concealing income on an especially large scale. On November 24, 2011, the court sentenced him to imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony with confiscation of property. Alexander pleaded not guilty, claiming that the funds were used exclusively for human rights activities. EU countries, the United States, and international human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner, and his sentence was politically motivated. He was released in the summer of 2014 under an amnesty.
On July 14, 2021, Alexander was arrested again following a search of his apartment and office as part of a tax evasion case. In September 2022, that case was dropped, but he was charged with new charges of smuggling and financing group activities that grossly violate public order.
In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation. He pleaded not guilty in court.
In early November 2023, Alexander was placed in a PKT for trumped-up reasons. In April–May 2024, he was returned to his unit, but he continues to be under increased scrutiny. He works in woodworking, receives penalties, and is deprived of parcels, video calls, and correspondence. It is known that his previous stint in the Bobruisk penal colony has left him with health problems that persist.
On December 13, 2025, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.
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Vladimir, a lawyer for the Viasna human rights center and coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign, was detained along with his wife on July 14, 2021, following a search of their apartment. He was taken to the Financial Investigation Department and then to the Investigative Committee for questioning, after which he was remanded in custody for tax evasion.
In September 2022, the case under this article was dismissed, but new charges were brought against Vladimir: smuggling and financing group actions that grossly violate public order.
Vladimir is a finalist for the 2022 Belarusian Human Rights Community Award in the Human Rights Defender of the Year category.
In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation. He pleaded not guilty in court.
According to available information, the conditions of detention were tightened, and Vladimir was transferred to a prison regime.
On December 13, 2025, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
Pavel was arrested on June 23, 2021, as part of a criminal case for participation in mass riots, initiated in connection with the events in Minsk in August 2020.
In October of the same year, he was convicted of participating in protests that took place on August 10–11, 2020, and sentenced to imprisonment.
He was released in March 2025, having fully served his sentence.
After his release, he was required to report regularly to the police, and his home was subject to nightly inspections. His parents' homes were also searched. Due to this persecution, Pavel left Belarus in late May 2025.