Political persecutions

Nikita was convicted of "active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" for his participation in a protest that took place in Minsk on October 25, 2020. He was sentenced to restriction of freedom without direction. Before the trial, he was under a written undertaking not to leave.

Vadim was arrested in June 2021 on charges of "active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order." The criminal case was opened against him for participating in protests that took place on October 25 and November 1, 2020, in Minsk. In September 2021, he was sentenced to restriction of freedom without direction and released from custody in the courtroom.

Valentin was convicted in September 2021 for a comment addressed to the commander of the Brest Regional Executive Committee's Special Purpose Police Unit (OMON), Lieutenant Colonel Maksim Yakovlevich Mikhovich, and sentenced to restricted freedom without placement in an open-type facility.

Anton was convicted in September 2021 for a comment he posted about a police officer from the Berezovsky District Executive Committee's Internal Affairs Department in a Telegram channel designated as extremist. According to the charges, he acted with the intent to publicly insult a government official in connection with the performance of his official duties.

Eduard was convicted in the fall of 2021 for a comment he left on Olga Karach's Odnoklassniki page about traffic police officer Igor Volnich. He was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a prison facility and ordered to pay monetary compensation for "moral damages."

Eduard, a visually impaired nurse, previously competed for the Belarusian Paralympic team. In September 2021, he was found guilty of "insulting a government official" for a comment he left on the social media site Odnoklassniki about traffic police inspector Andrei Bagrayenok. A linguistic expert found the comment humiliating. Eduard was under house arrest until his trial, after which he was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to an open facility.

Alina was found guilty in September 2021 for the comment "Death" left on the social media site Odnoklassniki, addressed to Savich, a warrant officer in the Minsk City Executive Committee's riot police company. According to the prosecution, the comment humiliated the recipient and was deemed offensive.

Yevgeny, a Russian citizen and rapper, was convicted in the fall of 2021 for a self-composed song that, according to the prosecution, contained insults against Lukashenko.

He was released in the summer of 2022, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court, and deported to Russia.

Alexei, a writer and teacher of Belarusian language and literature, was arrested in August 2021 as part of a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them." In November of that year, he was convicted for participating in a post-election protest that took place from August 9 to 10, 2020, in Minsk.

Left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with a referral to imprisonment in a penal colony.

Alexander was convicted for a comment he left on the social network Odnoklassniki. According to the charges, he posted a single-word offensive comment under a photograph of an Interior Ministry officer detaining a participant in an unauthorized event during the pre-election period, "intending to insult a government official in connection with the performance of their official duties." Investigators believe he used the word "volnich" twice and, with his post, "negatively assessed the actions" of Senior Lieutenant Igor Volnich of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.

Artyom, a Belarusian Railways train driver, was found guilty of "insulting a government official" for a comment he left on the social network Odnoklassniki under a photograph of Igor Volnich, a traffic police officer from Gantsevichi, kneeling on the neck of a protester.

Vitaly was convicted in September 2021 for causing bodily harm to police officer Vladislav Suvorov during a search on April 23, 2021. According to the prosecution, he slammed a door on the officer's fingers, causing fractures and scratches.

In court, Vitaly explained that he was at home with his family that day when he heard his wife scream. In the hallway, he saw his son and at least four men in tracksuits and masks, who were trying to force their way into the apartment without identifying them. In shock, he tried to hold the door open, unaware that they were police officers and unaware that he could have injured their fingers. Vitaly emphasized that if he had immediately realized they were police officers, the situation would not have happened.

The court sentenced him to restricted freedom with direction and payment of large compensation.

Left Belarus.

In December 2024, a court hearing in absentia was held as part of a special proceeding on the issue of replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Maria, an English teacher at the Baranovichi Gymnasium, was convicted in September 2021 for her comment under a photo of Interior Ministry officer Vadim Yakimchik on the Telegram channel "Punishermen of Belarus": "...and I used to hang out with this d**k when I was younger..." A linguistic examination determined that the word "d**k" has a derogatory connotation and insults human dignity.

Yakimchik later filed a lawsuit for compensation for "moral damages," and in July 2022, the court upheld the claim.

Dmitry was convicted in September 2021 for a comment on Odnoklassniki under a photo of Andrei Komar, a senior district inspector in the Pervomaisky District of Babruisk. Komar failed to appear at the hearing and demanded 1,000 rubles in moral damages, but Dmitry only acknowledged possible damages of 10 basic units.

Vladimir was convicted in September 2021 for a comment he left on the social media site Odnoklassniki under a photograph of Vitaly Kuleshov, head of the Gantsevichi District Police Department. According to the prosecution, he intended to intentionally disparage the authority, honor, and dignity of a law enforcement officer and publicly insult him.