Elena Dmitrievna Pyrkh
Pyrkh Elena Dmitrievna participated in the persecution of political prisoners. All provocations by the administration of the correctional facility took place under her control. She was present at all searches in the cells of political prisoners, while displaying aggression, threatening and insulting female prisoners.
Forbidden objects, usually pills or needles, were planted in the cells of women who, in the opinion of the administration, needed to be punished, which Pyrkh then "found". After that, she took the prisoner to the regime department and wrote a report.
Another form of psychological pressure was "fire safety drills", when Pyrkh suddenly came to the detachment and demanded that all prisoners "take out" their things in an organized manner within 10 minutes. If the prisoners did not manage to complete this task within the specified time, everything started over again.
Pyrkh shouted, insulted and humiliated the prisoners. If she didn't like something, she could make the entire unit stand in the sun, rain or cold for several hours, during which time people had to read the internal regulations.
She often wrote reports on political prisoners, demanded that the regime for them be strengthened at commissions, including at commissions on penalties, insisted on placing them in a punishment cell instead of a reprimand, deprivation of a visit, a parcel, and so on.
These actions directly indicate assistance to the repressive policy of the Lukashenko regime in relation to those who do not support the government and violate the rights of prisoners to humane treatment.
Pyrkh Elena Dmitrievna participated in the persecution of political prisoners. All provocations by the administration of the correctional facility took place under her control. She was present at all searches in the cells of political prisoners, while displaying aggression, threatening and insulting female prisoners.
Forbidden objects, usually pills or needles, were planted in the cells of women who, in the opinion of the administration, needed to be punished, which Pyrkh then "found". After that, she took the prisoner to the regime department and wrote a report.
Another form of psychological pressure was "fire safety drills", when Pyrkh suddenly came to the detachment and demanded that all prisoners "take out" their things in an organized manner within 10 minutes. If the prisoners did not manage to complete this task within the specified time, everything started over again.
Pyrkh shouted, insulted and humiliated the prisoners. If she didn't like something, she could make the entire unit stand in the sun, rain or cold for several hours, during which time people had to read the internal regulations.
She often wrote reports on political prisoners, demanded that the regime for them be strengthened at commissions, including at commissions on penalties, insisted on placing them in a punishment cell instead of a reprimand, deprivation of a visit, a parcel, and so on.
These actions directly indicate assistance to the repressive policy of the Lukashenko regime in relation to those who do not support the government and violate the rights of prisoners to humane treatment.
List of repressed
- Associations
- Retirees
- Entrepreneurs
Lyubov, the wife of an Orthodox priest, was detained on December 1, 2020, along with her husband and son, as part of the criminal "Avtukhovich case." The authorities called Nikolai Avtukhovich "the organizer and leader of a terrorist group." According to the investigation, she helped Avtukhovich collect information about law enforcement officers and provided housing where the participants in the "case" stored weapons. Lyubov was convicted of "participation in a criminal organization," "act of terrorism," "attempted seizure of power," and "illegal actions in relation to firearms."
- Associations
- Entrepreneurs
Irina graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of BSU and in recent years was engaged in her own small business related to flowers and souvenir production. She was detained on January 12, 2021, along with Andrey Alexandrov. Irina was accused of "financing protest activities" and paying fines to protesters. She was convicted of "treason" and "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."
On September 1, 2022, the couple got married in Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1.
- Associations
- Human rights activists
- Students
Marfa, a coordinator of the Viasna volunteer service, was detained on September 17, 2020. She was accused of "preparing for mass riots" and other "crimes." In February 2021, she was charged with additional charges, including "inciting social discord" and "participation in a criminal organization."
In September 2022, the court sentenced her to 15 years in prison, later reduced by three months. Marfa's health deteriorated in prison, including due to COVID.
- Associations
- Activists
- Retirees
A well-known activist and confidant of presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in Gomel. Tatyana has been fighting for changes to anti-drug legislation for several years as part of the "Movement of Mothers 328" initiative. On August 6, 2020, she was detained in her own home, accused of "mass riots" and plans to "seize buildings."
In January 2022, it became known that Tatyana had been transferred to prison regime.
According to human rights activists, she is deprived of the right to visits and is allowed to receive only one small parcel per year. Letters from Tatyana come extremely rarely. In addition, she has developed problems with her spine.
| 31.08.2021 | is serving a sentence in IK-4. address: 246035, Gomel, st. Antoshkina, 3 |
- Associations
- Retirees
Irina is retired and enjoys handicrafts: she crochets and knits, and also decorates her yard with her own hands.
On January 13, 2025, Irina was charged with administrative offences under Article 19.11 in the Novobelitsky District Court of Gomel. After serving 24 hours, Irina was released and went to visit her sister in Russia. However, during this time, a criminal case had been opened against her and she was placed on the wanted list, unknown to her. Upon returning to Belarus, Irina was detained on the train and placed in a temporary detention facility in St. Petersburg, after which she was transferred to a pretrial detention facility in Minsk.
Irina had an 80-year-old mother in her care.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
Diana graduated from the Psychology Department of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences at BSU in 2020. She wrote her thesis on working with elementary school children with severe speech impairments. After graduation, she worked as a psychologist at a speech therapy center. She has not appeared on social media since November 2024; the exact date of her arrest is unknown.
In 2025, Diana was convicted in the Minsk City Court under the article "joining an extremist group" and sentenced to imprisonment.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
- Associations
- Retirees
Sofia Bachurinskaya from Gomel is 70 years old. In recent years, she has been involved in network marketing.
Sofia leads an active life. She loves to travel and has recently visited several EU countries and Ukraine. Another hobby is drawing.
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.
She was released in the summer of 2025, having fully served her sentence as determined by the court.
- Associations
Lidiya is originally from Mogilev and graduated from Lyceum No. 1 in 2011. She later moved to Minsk, earned a degree in economics, and worked as a sales manager. She enjoys cosplay and drawing.
She was arrested in October 2024 and found guilty in March 2025 of "calls for sanctions or other actions aimed at harming Belarus." The nature of the charges is unknown.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Kristina was arrested in November 2024 and later, probably in mid-2025, convicted under the articles “inciting hatred and discord” and “organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them” and sentenced to imprisonment.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
It's unclear exactly when Marina was detained, but she last appeared on social media in mid-October 2024. Her extremist listing indicates she is currently serving a sentence, meaning she either received a probationary sentence or a prison colony. However, judging by the fact that she hasn't appeared online since her trial, it's likely Marina Luts was sentenced to a prison colony.
From 2014 until the end of 2022, she ran her own business organizing weddings and other events. In 2023, she retrained as a UX/UI designer, working primarily as a freelancer. Marina has a young son.
According to human rights activists, she will be released in the summer of 2025.
- Associations
- Retirees
Irina worked for over 15 years at Peleng JSC, a leading design and engineering company in the optical-electronics industry. Most recently, she held the position of Category 1 Design Engineer in the Structured Cable Systems Research and Design Department, in the Production Systems Support Sector.
Irina was likely detained as part of a raid on the company that began in the summer of 2024. In March 2025, she was convicted of "calling for sanctions" and sentenced to imprisonment.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
- Associations
- Teachers
Elena graduated from the Minsk State Linguistic University in 2019. She later worked as an English teacher at various private schools, including Step by Step, Kidslab, and others.
She was convicted in February 2025 of "inciting social hatred" and "calls for sanctions" and sentenced to imprisonment. An appeal hearing was held in early April of that year, and the sentence was upheld.
On December 13, 2025, she was released following a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.
