All persecuted

Evgeny Glushkov is a former Mogilev journalist, in the 90s and 2000s he worked on city television, after which he collaborated with several city portals.

Glushkov was detained in early January by assault because the man did not open the door to the security forces. He was dragged out into the street in the same clothes he was wearing at home.

According to some reports , it has been established that a criminal case has been opened against Glushkov for journalistic activities. The presumptive article is 361-1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (creation or participation in an extremist formation).

In Mogilev, Sobolevsky is known as one of the freelancers who collaborated with city online publications until 2020. Ales was sentenced twice for an administrative violation for a day, after which he was not released.

Freelance journalist from Pinsk, owner of the website and TikTok page “about Stolin”.

Alexander lived alone in Polesie for a long time, so his detention became known by chance. Concerned people became worried that he had not been in touch for a long time. It turned out that Alexander was placed in Brest pre-trial detention center-7. According to unverified information, he is charged with “assisting extremist activities.”

Alexander is also the father of the guy who “dismantled” the water cannon in Minsk during the 2020 protests.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs , the man made videos with incriminating evidence, showed them to local entrepreneurs and demanded money for “silence.” He also allegedly “promoted the activities of an extremist telegram channel whose administrators are located abroad.”

On May 28, 2024, the appeal was considered and the verdict entered into force.

Andrey Fomin is 29 years old, he hails from Mogilev, but lived in Minsk. The guy graduated from the Belarusian State Academy of Arts. In the video of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he was forced to say that he was the editor and author of articles for the «Vestniki» newspaper network. According to information from activists of the ByProsvet initiative, Andrey did not have access to newspaper accounts and did not know those who distribute them in Belarus.

As a result, the guy was charged for participating in the March on August 30, 2020 and transferred to the pre-trial detention center-1. Andrey fundamentally did not want to leave his country, he is writing a book, six cats are waiting for him at home.

Journalist, he was detained on May 26, 2022 after a search.

At the moment, the journalist has been charged, but the exact criminal article with which Lyubenchuk is accused is unknown (the lawyer is under a non-disclosure agreement).

In early November 2023, it became known that Ales had begun to have problems with his spine behind bars (a year ago). "It is difficult for him to even do sports, which is what everyone does to save themselves. This noticeably upsets him," a source told Radio Svaboda. Ales worked stripping wires of insulation.

He was released in early January 2025.

«Intex-press» journalist from Baranovichi.

He was detained on April 27, 2022. On April 29, he was sentenced to 10 days of arrest.

About a week after the journalist's detention, a fragment of a video from his interrogation and information about the reason for Gontsarevich's detention appeared in the telegram channels supporting the current government in the Republic of Belarus: he allegedly photographed Russian military equipment and sent pictures to the media, recognized by the Belarusian authorities as extremist.

He is an investigative journalist, editor of the Belarusian portal «Ezhednevnik»‎ (ej.by ).

Was detained on December 8, 2021. Earlier, Sergei had already been detained in the period from March 25 to April 4, 2020.

Some human rights organizations regarded the repression as evidence of a political motive in the persecution of a journalist aimed at forcing him to stop or change the nature of his activities to disseminate information about corruption.

The reason for the prosecution of the journalist, according to Satsuk's colleagues, were high-profile investigations, primarily concerning large-scale corruption in the medical field. Based on the facts obtained, he told about unprecedented «kickbacks»‎ for the supply of expensive equipment; about the purchase of an unregistered vaccine, which was actually tested on Belarusian children; about falsification of data on the spread of COVID-19 in Belarus. And all this with the approval of the control department — the Ministry of Health.

Former director of the BelaPAN news agency. He was detained on July 18 after a search and interrogation at the Investigative Committee. On August 28, 2021, he was transferred to SIZO-1.

Igor is a journalist for Belsat TV. He previously worked for the newspaper "Belorusy i Rynok" (Belarusians and the Market) and the Belarusian service of Radio Svaboda. He has also published in Russian and Ukrainian publications. Together with his wife, journalist Ekaterina Andreyeva, he wrote the book "Belarusian Donbass," a study of the role of Belarusians in the war in eastern Ukraine.

He was first detained on July 16, 2021, during mass searches of independent journalists on charges of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order or actively participating in them." His apartment was searched, his equipment and books were seized, and he was then placed in a temporary detention facility. He was released on July 26.

In October 2024, news of his second arrest broke . Pro-government Telegram channels published a photo of Igor in handcuffs and a video in which he claimed he was being persecuted for an interview with media outlets deemed "extremist" in Belarus. Shortly before his arrest, in a commentary to the Dozhd TV channel, he noted that "Putin has embarked on a course of sharp escalation and is leading the country toward all-out war," while Lukashenko, in his opinion, "most likely does not want to participate directly in it, but is forced to face increasing pressure from the Kremlin."

In February 2025, Igor was charged with "discrediting Belarus" and "assisting extremist activity." The trial began on February 21 in Minsk. The court rejected the request for an independent expert examination, and on September 5 of that year, the journalist was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

Valeria is a political scientist, founder and editor of the website of the expert community "Our Opinion", author and editor of the "Belarusian Yearbook", head of the group of experts for monitoring "Belarus in Focus".

On June 30, 2021, after a search of her home by KGB officers, Valeria was detained and placed in an isolation ward, later transferred to a pre-trial detention center.

On February 6, 2023, the court began considering her case on charges of "aiding actions aimed at seizing power," "calling for actions that harm national security," and "inciting social hatred." On March 17, 2023, the court sentenced Valeria in a closed session to 10 years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

Lyudmila is the former CEO of TUT.BY. She worked at TUT.BY since 2008: first as a legal adviser, later as a director. In 2017, she headed Tut By Media.

In May 2021, she was arrested in connection with a criminal case opened on charges of tax evasion.

In October 2022, the KGB added Lyudmila to a list of those “involved in terrorist activities.” She was later also charged with “inciting hatred” and “calling for actions against national security.”

The trial was held behind closed doors and lasted more than two months - 37 sessions in total. In March 2023, Lyudmila was sentenced to a long prison term and a large fine.

Marina has been the editor-in-chief of TUT.BY since 2004 and is known for her interest in Balkan culture and knowledge of the Bulgarian language.

In 2019, she was fined in a criminal case under the article on “inaction of an official” for accessing BelTA materials; human rights activists recognized this case as politically motivated.

In May 2021, she was arrested on charges of tax evasion, but the charges were later dropped.

In October 2022, the KGB added Marina to the list of those “involved in terrorist activities.” She was later also charged with “inciting hatred” and “calling for actions against national security.”

The trial was held behind closed doors and lasted more than two months, with 37 hearings in total. In March 2023, she was sentenced to a long prison term.

Andrei is a Grodno journalist, publicist and member of the Union of Poles in Belarus. In 2011, he was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment with a 2-year suspended sentence on charges of slandering Lukashenko. He was released in the courtroom on his own recognizance not to leave. In 2012, a new criminal case was opened against him for publications in the media, but in 2013 it was closed due to lack of evidence. In the autumn of the same year, he was released from serving his sentence in the first case.

On March 25, 2021, Andrei was detained again. He was accused of inciting hatred and calling for sanctions. The charges included articles about the 2020 Belarusian protests, the protection of the Polish minority, and publications about the USSR's attack on Poland in 1939. He spent more than 1.5 years in pretrial detention and was convicted in February 2023.

It is known that Andrey refused to write a petition for pardon. At present, he continues to be subjected to pressure, is deprived of visits and parcels. There are also no calls from him.

Denis is a journalist and volunteer editor for the Belarusian version of InformNapalm, a freelance correspondent for Novaga Chas. His investigations touched on the influence of the "Russian world" on Belarus and Syria, construction in Kurapaty, and the transition of former Ukrainian Berkut officers to the Belarusian security forces.

In March 2021, he was detained by KGB officers on charges of "interfering with the activities of the police." Searches were conducted in his apartment, his mother's apartment, and his 95-year-old grandmother's apartment. In 2022, it became known that he was also accused of collaborating with Ukrainian intelligence.

In September 2022, Denis was convicted under articles on "treason" and "interference in the activities of an internal affairs officer", but the latter charge was later replaced with "illegal collection or dissemination of data about personal life".

In June 2023, he was transferred to a maximum security prison without notifying his family or lawyer.

In April 2024, the political prisoner was deprived of parcels, and sending vitamins now requires permission from the prison doctor.

Ekaterina, a journalist for the Belsat TV channel, was reporting live from the courtyard of the Square of Change, where peaceful protesters gathered for a protest rally in Minsk on November 15, 2020, under the slogan "I'm coming out." These were the last words of Raman Bondarenko, who was killed by security forces, and those gathered came to honor his memory. Ekaterina was detained along with her colleague Darya Chultsova during the violent dispersal of the rally and was later convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order."

In April 2022, a new criminal case was opened against Ekaterina, and in July of the same year she was convicted again, accused of “treason” and sentenced to eight years in prison three months before the end of her first sentence.