Dmitry Rudolfovich Shinvize
The Department of the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus for the Mogilev Region. Correctional Colony No. 2 in Babruisk. Head of the Operational-Regime Unit, Major. Dmitry Rudolfovich Shinvize is an accomplice to the repressions in the Babruisk colony, guilty of using violence and creating harsh conditions for political prisoners: placing them in a punishment cell upon arrival, refusing to give them parcels, and prohibiting them from communicating with other prisoners. He greeted new arrivals with the words: "You have ended up in the 'reddest' colony in the world." He is known for his cruelty and strict control of the regime, personally conducting inspections and punishing for the slightest violations, accompanying this with abuse and bullying. He gave propaganda lectures to political prisoners. In 2023, he introduced new restrictions on the mailing of books and medical supplies. At the beginning of 2024, he resigned and went to Germany under the repatriation program for descendants of German colonists (Spätaussiedler). According to BELPOL, he lives under the name Dimitri Schönwiese in Schwerin. At least 50 political prisoners remain in Colony No. 2. The German authorities have been notified of his involvement in the repressions.
The Department of the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus for the Mogilev Region. Correctional Colony No. 2 in Babruisk. Head of the Operational-Regime Unit, Major. Dmitry Rudolfovich Shinvize is an accomplice to the repressions in the Babruisk colony, guilty of using violence and creating harsh conditions for political prisoners: placing them in a punishment cell upon arrival, refusing to give them parcels, and prohibiting them from communicating with other prisoners. He greeted new arrivals with the words: "You have ended up in the 'reddest' colony in the world." He is known for his cruelty and strict control of the regime, personally conducting inspections and punishing for the slightest violations, accompanying this with abuse and bullying. He gave propaganda lectures to political prisoners. In 2023, he introduced new restrictions on the mailing of books and medical supplies. At the beginning of 2024, he resigned and went to Germany under the repatriation program for descendants of German colonists (Spätaussiedler). According to BELPOL, he lives under the name Dimitri Schönwiese in Schwerin. At least 50 political prisoners remain in Colony No. 2. The German authorities have been notified of his involvement in the repressions.
List of repressed
- Associations
- Factory workers
Former repairman of the "Ammonia-3" workshop.
On November 9, 2022, the Gomel Regional Court began hearing the "Rabochag Rukh case," in which ten political prisoners are defendants. On the second day of the trial, all defendants pleaded not guilty to treason and the creation of an extremist group . Andrei Pogerilo pleaded only to the charge of slander. All defendants in the "Rabochag Rukh case" refused to testify. On December 27, the trial was closed pending a verdict, although it had previously been open to the public.
- Associations
- Factory workers
Former legal adviser of OJSC Naftan, plant Polymir. He was detained on the territory of the Russian Federation without legal grounds. No one explained the reasons for the detentions, and Alexander was urgently handed over to the KGB of Belarus, who secretly took him to Minsk from the Russia/Ukraine border crossing "Troebortnoe". In the first days after his arrest, his leg was broken and his arm was injured.
On April 10, 2024, a trial was held in Bobruisk in the case of replacing the detention regime for a political prisoner. By decision of judge Pavel Kartinin, Alexander was transferred to prison regime.
15 years in a colony under a reinforced regime
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Arrested in March 2021 for posting stickers in the city . According to the prosecution, from October 1 to March 22, he was engaged in activities aimed at "systematic damage to property." Using aerosol paint, he applied the inscriptions on the property of UE Vitebskvodokanal: "Long live Belarus!", "3%", "Red partisan", "Go away", etc. Sergei faces up to 15 years in prison. Sergei left two minor children in the wild.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
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.
- Associations
Anarchist. Detained on July 29, 2021. His apartment was searched, and during the arrest he was beaten. Demanding access to the phone and computer, the guy pulled a bag over his head. During the transfer to the pre-trial detention center, all books were taken from Yevgeny Rubashko and put on a preventive record as prone to extremism, which means making a note in a personal file, special treatment and additional work with a psychologist.
In February 2023, Yevgeny Rubashko was transferred for a month to a cell-type room in IK No. 2. Prior to that, he was placed in a ShIZO three times for 10, 7 and 7 days for far-fetched violations of internal regulations. After being kept in the PKT, Yevgeny was again placed in the ShIZO for a total of 17 days.
In Bobruisk on April 19, 2023, the court transferred the political prisoner to the prison regime .
At the beginning of May 2023, it became known that Evgeniy had been transferred to Prison No. 8 in Zhodzina.
| 16.08.2021 | Vegetarian |
- Associations
- Twice political prisoners
- Human rights activists
Ales 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.
Ales 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. Ales 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, Ales 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, Ales 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.
- Associations
- Foreign citizens
Egor, a Russian citizen, was detained on May 4, 2021, by GUBOPiK officers in a rented apartment after a search and was brutally beaten. He was held in pretrial detention for seven months on charges of "organizing actions that grossly violate public order" - for voicing videos and audio messages on the "OGSB" Telegram channel. However, in December of the same year, he was convicted under the articles "inciting hatred or discord" and "calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of Belarus", and sentenced to the maximum possible prison term.
In June 2022, the conditions of detention were tightened, and Yegor was transferred to prison regime.
- Associations
- Activists
- Parents of minors
Andrey, a maxillofacial surgeon at a children's hospital, was detained in May 2021 after a search as part of a criminal case opened under the article on "insulting the president." His wife and children were forced to leave the country. Andrey was later charged with "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" and "participation in mass riots."
In April 2022, Andrei was convicted on four criminal charges for participating in protests that took place in Minsk in 2020 and for publications on social networks that were classified as insults and incitement of hatred.
In June 2024, his sentence was increased and he was transferred to prison until the end of his term.
- Associations
- Activists
Pavel, an activist of the anarchist movement, was arrested in March 2021 as part of a criminal case brought against anarchists from the Brest region. He was convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" and "participation in a criminal organization." It is known that the charges were based on an episode related to the "March of Non-Parasites" that took place on March 5, 2017, as well as events that took place near the building of the Brest GUBOPiK in 2016.
- Associations
- Activists
- Bloggers
- Politicians
- Parents of minors
Pavel was detained in September 2020 after publishing a new video. He had planned to run for president, but the Central Election Commission refused to register him. Pavel became a confidant of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. He was accused of "inciting social discord" because of the video, which criticized government officials, including prosecutors, judges, and police.
In November 2024, another trial of the political prisoner took place. According to human rights activists, Pavel was supposed to be released in December after completing his term, but at the initiative of the administration of Bobruisk colony No. 2, a criminal case was opened against him for "malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution."
- Associations
- Activists
- Students
Nikita was detained 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 4 years. In May 2020, Nikita was transferred to prison regime.
In March 2022, he was convicted again of “malicious disobedience to the demands of correctional authorities,” a charge often applied to inmates who refuse to cooperate with prison authorities. In March 2023, he was transferred back to prison mode.
Throughout his imprisonment, Nikita is constantly under pressure. He is often sent to solitary confinement, where he is kept in isolation for dozens of days. He is deprived of visits from his family, his correspondence is restricted, and his personal belongings are confiscated. In response to the harsh conditions of detention, Nikita protests with hunger strikes and by refusing to comply with the administration's demands. He is also regularly subjected to penalties for minor violations, such as refusing to clean the courtyard or for inter-cell communication.
Three months before his release, in February 2025, Nikita had another court hearing on charges of “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional facility,” as a result of which he was sentenced to another year of imprisonment.
By December 2024, Nikita had spent a total of 568 days in solitary confinement, including 2 months of continuous isolation.
- Associations
- Activists
Igor, an activist of the For Freedom movement, was detained in a criminal case initiated due to protests and clashes between Pinsk residents and security forces on the night of August 9-10, 2020. He was convicted of participating in "mass riots." The victims in the case were 109 police officers and officials, who, in addition to imprisonment, demanded about 530 thousand rubles in compensation from the accused.
In January 2022, he was transferred to prison regime.
- Associations
- Athletes
Daniil, a fan of FC Volna, was detained on August 10, 2020, as part of a criminal case initiated due to protests and clashes between Pinsk residents and security forces on the night of August 9-10, 2020. He was convicted of participating in "mass riots." The victims in the case were 109 police officers and officials, who, in addition to imprisonment, demanded about 530 thousand rubles in compensation from the accused.
- Associations
- Civil servants
- Parents of minors
In 2020, Vladimir coordinated Viktor Babariko's regional group. After graduating from the Mogilev State Technical University in 2001, he worked in the Mogilev City Executive Committee, and in 2018 he became his deputy, responsible for construction and housing and communal services. He left the post in October 2019.
On June 11, 2020, employees of the Financial Investigation Department conducted a search at the Belgazprombank office and at persons associated with Babariko, after which Vladimir was detained. In September 2021, the court found him guilty of abuse of office and fraud, but he did not admit his guilt.
- Associations
- Activists
- People with disabilities
Vladimir was arrested on December 30, 2020, as part of the criminal "Avtukhovich case" on charges of "preparing a terrorist attack," but this charge was later dropped. In May 2021, he was convicted of "violence against an official." Investigators claimed that during his arrest, he threatened investigators and smashed his mobile phone.
The "Autukhovich case" began in May 2022. During the trial, Vladimir was removed from the sessions several times and sent to solitary confinement. At one of the June sessions, he was placed in a cage in his underwear, with his hands handcuffed to the bars. In response, Vladimir went on a hunger strike, which he held for 11 days. In this case, he was convicted of "creating a criminal organization" and "attempting to seize power."
In December 2022, Vladimir was charged with insulting prosecutor Lyudmila Gerasimenko, who represented the prosecution in the "Autukhovich case," and was given an additional term. He was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in a maximum-security penal colony.
Transferred to prison regime in October 2023.
