Political prisoners

Maxim was an instructor for the renowned search and rescue team "Angel" and also assisted other search teams. Voitekhovich regularly conducted orientation training and practical exercises in searching for missing persons.

Maxim was also a cycling enthusiast and involved in charity work. In 2023, he organized the Eurovelo 2 bike ride from Zaslavl to Vselyub. During this 145-kilometer ride, he raised funds for the treatment of children with cancer.

The man was arrested last year and placed in pretrial detention.

Vladimir is an activist and human rights defender from Mozyr, known in the region for his work defending human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly. In 1986, he participated in the cleanup efforts following the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. He has health issues.

He was repeatedly subjected to political persecution and administrative arrests.

In April 2026, he was arrested and placed in pretrial detention as part of a criminal case, the details of which are still unknown.

A Russian citizen, he lived in Belarus for a long time. In 2014, he received a degree in electrical power supply from the Belarusian National Technical University's Faculty of Power Engineering.

Prior to his arrest, he most recently worked at MITSO University. According to official procurement documents, he was responsible for plumbing, ventilation, and electrical work during a major renovation of one of the academic buildings.

Father Anatoly has served in Olkovichi since 2007. Prior to that, he served in Rakov and Zaslavl, and trained in Białystok, Poland. Last year, he celebrated the 30th anniversary of his priestly ordination, as did Archbishop Joseph Stanevsky.

He was arrested in mid-March 2026. Father Anatoly has no family or friends, so there is no one to find out anything about him except the bishops.

At the end of April 2026, it became known that Anatoly suffered a heart attack in the pre-trial detention center and remains in serious condition.

Also, as far as Belarusian believers know , the priest is accused of "treason." There is no specific information on the charges. It is believed that the priest is being held in a KGB pretrial detention facility. Unknown masked men arrived in several cars to arrest him, and his house was sealed.

In the absence of any official information, a theory has emerged among Catholic believers in Belarus regarding the likely pretext for the priest's arrest in the Vileika district. After comparing several facts learned by the believers, they concluded that Father Anatoly Parakhnevich may have been accused of assisting in preserving the memory of Polish citizens who died in previous years in what is now Belarus.

Throughout his priestly career, the 65-year-old priest served in a region that, in the first half of the 20th century, experienced difficult historical conditions and tragic times. The priest deeply studied the history and culture of this region and was committed to its preservation.

Father Anatoly created a small museum at the church in Olkovichi. It housed 18th-century silk-embroidered ornaments adorned with family Slutsk sashes, a unique collection of Belarusian towels, and antique books.

The priest suffered a heart attack while in custody. The 65-year-old priest remains in serious condition in pretrial detention. Also, as far as Belarusian believers know, the priest is accused of "treason." The specific charges are unknown.

Before her arrest, Natalia led an active and inquisitive lifestyle: she traveled, took long walks, visited art galleries, and admired beautiful places. It is also known that she recently worked as a security guard.

She was detained in 2025 as part of a criminal case opened under the article “assistance to extremist activity.”

In 2026, she was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony; the exact term of imprisonment is unknown.

Yevgeny was arrested in July 2025 in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "assistance to extremist activity" after Belarusian security forces gained access to the chats of a bot belonging to the monitoring project "Belaruski Gayun," where people were sending information about Russian troop movements.

In March 2026, Evgeniy was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

After graduating, Alexander worked as an inspector for the Molodechno District Department of the Ministry of Emergency Situations. He later left government service and most recently worked for the Molodechno-based company "Fenster-LAKSS," which manufactures PVC windows and custom furniture.

Alexander has a wife and a minor daughter.

Karnatsky was arrested at the end of July 2025, when he disappeared from social media.

Alexander was convicted in a special proceeding in the Molodechno District Court under Article 364 of the Criminal Code (violence or threat of violence against a law enforcement officer) and sentenced to three years in a maximum-security penal colony. Judge Vadim Petrusevich heard the case from October 15 to November 16, 2024.

Alexander, an activist from Molodechno, was a political émigré. Human rights activists learned that he later, for unknown reasons, ended up in Belarus, where he was convicted again for collaborating with the organization "Dapamoga" under Parts 1 and 2 of Article 361-4 (assistance to extremist activity) of the Criminal Code and sentenced to five years and six months in a maximum-security prison colony, as well as a fine of 42,000 rubles.

As reported in a state newspaper in December 2025, "the man assisted the extremist group Dapamoga in organizing the illegal departure from the Republic of Belarus of individuals charged with criminal and administrative liability for committing crimes and offenses of an extremist nature."

Alexander spent his last years in exile. In 2023, a criminal case was opened against him for participating in Freedom Day abroad. Alexander's apartment in Belarus was seized, as revealed in a pro-government media report broadcast by propagandist Igor Tur.

In April 2026, Alexander returned to Belarus and was detained at the airport.

Viktor was arrested and found guilty of "assisting extremist activity." He was sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony; the exact length of his sentence is unknown.

In the 1990s, he was the Belarusian vice-champion in motorsport and worked as a coach for a long time. He later became fascinated with the sea and switched to windsurfing and yachting.

In 2013, Ochkas bought an old yacht in Poland, restored it himself, and named it "Fortuna." Since then, he began offering vacation services on the Minsk Sea, striving to create a high-quality and beautiful water-based service in Belarus, although he acknowledged that it would be impossible to develop a full-fledged business out of it in our latitudes. His brand was called yachts.by.

Yuriy holds pro-Ukrainian views. "I believe everything will be Ukraine!" he wrote in one Facebook post.

Yuri's last social media post was dated August 30, 2025 , when he published a recording from the Masurian Lake District in Poland. He was likely detained shortly thereafter while returning to Belarus.

He was tried in the Minsk City Court under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code. This is most likely related to pro-Ukrainian posts on social media.

Yuri was sentenced to a penal colony.