Political persecutions

Matvey, a freight forwarder and student at the Minsk College of Entrepreneurship, was convicted for participating in a protest action, the March for the Liberation of Political Prisoners, which took place on October 4, 2020, in Minsk.

In December 2024, it became known that a court hearing in absentia was held regarding Matvey to replace the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Andrei is a Russian citizen and a volunteer for Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's initiative group. He was first detained on June 6, 2020, in Belarus for participating in a picket to collect signatures, which was considered an unauthorized event. He was soon charged under the article on "preparing and organizing actions that grossly violate public order."

On November 26, 2020, Andrei was taken to the border with Russia and banned from entering Belarus for 10 years. He left behind a wife and two children in the country.

On April 13, 2021, he was detained again in the village of Prusy, where he had secretly come to visit his family. He was later convicted of “illegal border crossing,” although the charges in the previous case were not dropped.

He was released in October 2022 after completing his sentence and deported to Russia.

Sergei was convicted of participating in "mass riots" in a criminal case opened due to protests and clashes between Pinsk residents and security forces on the night of August 9-10, 2020. The victims in the case included 109 police officers and officials, who, in addition to prison sentences for the accused, demanded approximately 530,000 rubles in compensation.

In November 2024, Sergei's sentence was increased and he was transferred to prison.

On March 19, 2026, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.

Gennady was convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" in a criminal case opened after a protest that took place in Brest on September 13, 2020. During the protest, people sang and danced in circles, and a water cannon was used against them.

Alexander was arrested in connection with a criminal case brought for damaging three "Tabakeroks". He was convicted of writing the words "Tribunal" and "OMON" on two of them.

Ilya was arrested in connection with a criminal case brought for damaging three "Tabakeroks". He was convicted of writing the words "OMON" and "Sasha" on one of them, along with obscene language.

Daniil was detained as part of a criminal case opened for damaging three "Tabakeroks". He was taken to the Investigative Committee, where he was interrogated for two days without food, water or toilet, so that he would take all the blame on himself.

He was convicted for depicting on one of them a cross with four letters: OGSB.

Yulia was detained at the end of January 2021 on charges of blocking roads in Romanovskaya Sloboda in Minsk on December 20, 2020 and January 3, 2021. The reason was that the girl and a group of people stood at a pedestrian crossing twice for about a minute with flags in support of political prisoners.

After her arrest, Yulia was interrogated for six days, as a result of which she lost consciousness from exhaustion and dehydration and was hospitalized. Before her trial, she was under house arrest and convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order."

Olga was convicted for a comment left in one of the Telegram channels addressed to Lukashenko.

Alexander, a renowned Belarusian political scientist and literary scholar, was previously a member of Lukashenko's campaign team and briefly served in his administration after his victory. He subsequently resigned and became one of the most vocal critics of the first Belarusian president.

On April 12, 2021, he was arrested in Moscow and later extradited. He was charged with "conspiracy or other actions committed with the intent to seize state power." In September 2022, he was sentenced to a lengthy prison term.

On December 13, 2025, he was released after another visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Ukraine.

Lidiya, a moderator of the Telegram channel "Zhodino for Life", was detained in March 2021 on charges of coordinating "yard" protest movements and calling for active actions. She was later convicted under the articles "organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them" and "insulting a government official".

Alexander was twice brought to administrative responsibility for posting leaflets and was convicted because, according to the state prosecution, they contained information of an offensive nature regarding an employee of the Leninsky District Department of Internal Affairs of Brest, which became the basis for a criminal case.

Alexander managed to leave Belarus before he began serving his sentence.

In December 2024, a court hearing was held in absentia to replace the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

Sergei was convicted of unfurling a banner with the inscription: “While there is lawlessness in the country, resistance is our duty,” blocking traffic.

Left Belarus.

In February 2025, as part of a special trial in Sergei's case, a hearing was held in absentia to consider replacing his restriction of freedom with a prison sentence in a penal colony. The outcome of the hearing is unknown.

Maria, the director of the public school of the Union of Poles in Vawkavysk, was detained as part of a criminal case on the "rehabilitation of Nazism." According to the prosecutor's office, since 2018, "illegal events" have been held with the participation of minors, at which "anti-Soviet figures were honored," which, according to the investigation, "pursued the goal of justifying the genocide of the Belarusian people."

At the end of May 2021, Maria was released and deported to Poland.

Irena, the head of the Lida branch of the Union of Poles, was detained as part of a criminal case on the "rehabilitation of Nazism." According to the prosecutor's office, since 2018, "illegal events" have been held with the participation of minors, at which "anti-Soviet figures were honored," which, according to the investigation, "pursued the goal of justifying the genocide of the Belarusian people."

At the end of May 2021, Irena was released and deported to Poland.