Anastasiia Yuryeuna Lojka
- Associations
- Human rights activists
Nasta is a well-known Belarusian human rights activist. Since August 2021, she has been a suspect in a criminal case related to the activities of the organization "Viasna."
On September 6, 2022, after attending a court hearing in the "Revolutionary Action" case, Nasta was convicted twice of "petty hooliganism" and spent 30 days in custody. Three weeks later, on October 28, 2022, she was arrested again. At the trial, she testified to torture: GUBOPiK officers shocked her with a stun gun and left her in the cold for eight hours without outerwear, causing Nasta to fall ill. While in custody at Okrestina, she was held without warm clothing or personal hygiene products.
On November 28, 2022, Nastya was again sentenced to 15 days in jail under Article 19.1, "petty hooliganism." In mid-December, she was re-arrested for the sixth time under the same article, and at the end of the month, she was charged with criminal offenses and transferred to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1. According to the prosecution, one of her human rights reports on the persecution of an anarchist community in 2018 contained a negative assessment of police actions, which served as the basis for the criminal case. Human rights activists note that this interpretation of the article is inconsistent with international standards.
Almost the entire trial, which began on June 13, 2023, was held behind closed doors. An appeal was heard on October 3, 2023. In July 2025, Nastya was placed in a special penal colony for six months.
On March 19, 2026, she was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.
How to write a letter
✏️ A postcard with words of encouragement (a poem by your favorite author, song lyrics, or a beautiful quote). Trust us, even such simple gestures are very meaningful to a person in jail.
✏️ Your life events. To a person who is in isolation for a long time, any story about your routine endeavors will be a window into normal life. Your day-to-day worries and mundane matters are much more interesting than the daily grind of life behind bars.
✏️ It is important to share news. Mention the most notable and interesting occurrences depending on your pen-pal's interests.
✍️️ Remember that every letter is censored. This means that your letters are read by strangers whose main goal is to limit inmates' access to information or to use it against the prisoners or even you.
So try to avoid:
👉️️ harsh statements regarding ongoing political matters
👉 statements against the authorities and public servants
👉 foul language
👉 discussion of the circumstances of the criminal case
Involved in repression
