Pursuit is over

Alexander, the deputy director of a special-purpose vehicle manufacturing company, was arrested in June 2021 as part of a criminal case for inciting social hatred. In August of that year, he was convicted for 13 comments left in the Telegram chat "Smorgon-Chat," in which, according to the prosecution, he expressed sharply negative views about police actions during the protests following the presidential elections and also called for violence.

In June 2024, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Andrei, a former history and social studies teacher from Smorgon with nearly 20 years of experience, showed his 11th-graders a video in March 2021 titled "The Constitution Has Gone Into Prostitution!" featuring a logo deemed extremist in Belarus. One of the students filmed it on his phone and posted it in a family chat. Afterward, Andrei was fired and a criminal case was opened under the article "Slander against Lukashenko." In August 2021, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

In January 2023, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Yuri, the head of the financial department of the Leninsky District Administration, was arrested on April 30, 2021, and convicted five times under administrative law, receiving 50 days of arrest. He was subsequently transferred to a pretrial detention center on charges under two articles of the Criminal Code: "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them" and "insulting Lukashenko."

In August of that year, he was convicted of participating in post-election protests that took place in Minsk in August 2020, as well as for reposting them on Telegram.

In April 2024, Yuri was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Natalia was convicted in August 2021 in a criminal case opened on charges of insulting Lukashenko and destroying official documents. According to the prosecution, police officers arrived at Natalia's home on May 27, 2021. There, according to investigators, she "publicly insulted" Lukashenko with the words "we have a f*cking state" and "a f*cking president," thereby committing a crime, according to the prosecution. An hour later, investigators conducted a search of her apartment. During the search, the prosecution alleges, Natalia, "wanting to express her superiority and permissiveness," tore up the police report, thereby "damaging an official document."

She was released in March 2022 as part of a pardon.

Alexander was accused of leaving a one-word comment—"Scum"—on the social media site Odnoklassniki in August 2020, under a post about traffic police inspector Andrei Bagrayenok participating in the dispersal of peaceful assemblies and issuing fines for honking solidarity horns.

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

Roman was found guilty of three criminal charges for comments left in the "Senica" chat and sentenced to restricted freedom and sent to an open correctional facility.

According to human rights activists, he was released in the summer of 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Andrei was convicted of an administrative offense in October 2020 for participating in a post-election protest. In May 2021, he was arrested in connection with a criminal case opened on four counts, including insulting a government official and Lukashenko. In September of that year, Andrei was sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation.

He was released in September 2024 as part of a pardon.

Vyacheslav was found guilty of damaging property and causing damage in the amount of 10 rubles 34 kopecks for painting a school fence, a kiosk, poles, and trees in a village on the outskirts of Mogilev with white and red stripes in December 2020.

He was released in the fall of 2021, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Ekaterina, an accountant for the BelaPAN news agency, was detained on August 18, 2021, following a search and questioning by the Investigative Committee and placed in pretrial detention for 72 hours as part of a criminal case opened under the article "organizing or preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or participating in them."

On August 28, 2021, Ekaterina was released on bail.

Irina, editor-in-chief and director of the BelaPAN news agency, was detained on August 18, 2021, following searches of her home and the agency's offices, as well as an interrogation. She was initially placed in pretrial detention for 72 hours as part of a criminal case under the article "organizing or preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or participating in them." However, she was not released and was transferred to a pretrial detention center 10 days later. The charge was later amended to tax evasion.

In November 2021, it was revealed that Irina had also been charged with "creating an extremist group." In October 2022, she was found guilty of "participating in an extremist group," sentenced to imprisonment, and banned from holding certain positions for five years.

Irina was released in December 2024, having fully served her sentence imposed by the court.

Sergei was convicted in August 2021 of insulting Lukashenko and sentenced to prison in a penal colony for posting an audio recording on his personal VKontakte page, reading "Lukashenko, go away."

According to human rights activists, he was released in August 2022, having fully served his sentence.

Anna, a prominent activist who supported Viktor Babaryka, was arrested on July 26, 2021, in connection with a criminal case opened for defamation against Lukashenko. In November of that year, she was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

According to human rights activists, she was released in the spring of 2024, having fully served her sentence.

Maxim was arrested in April 2021 and later convicted for participating in a post-election protest that took place in Minsk in August 2020. According to the charges, on the night of August 9-10, 2020, he was on Masherov Avenue, joined other protesters, walked onto the roadway, shouted slogans, loudly clapped, waved his arms, and made offensive gestures toward police officers.

In March 2023, Maxim was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Artem, an anarchist activist, was arrested on August 4, 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, Artem and other defendants were charged with additional membership in an extremist group for subscribing to the Telegram channel "Pramen." At the time of his arrest, the channel had not yet been added to the list of extremist groups; this only happened in November 2021.

In April 2022, Artem was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

He was released in July 2024 as part of a pardon.

Vitaly was convicted for a comment about Lukashenko that investigators deemed offensive and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

In June 2022, he was placed in solitary confinement twice: the first time for five days, after which he was transferred to a new unit for "malicious violators of the regime," and a few days later for ten days. In July of that year, it was announced that Vitaly had been transferred to a cell-type facility for five months, remaining on his sentence.

He was released in December 2022, having fully served his sentence.

After his release, Vitaly left Belarus because, when he was registered, the first deputy head of the Kobrin District Department of Internal Affairs, Alexander Kosyak, threatened that next time he would be imprisoned with his wife.

In November 2023, it became known that a new criminal case had been opened against Vitaly for “assisting extremist activity.”