Political prisoners

Stanislav, a businessman, was arrested in December 2021 in connection with a criminal case opened under six criminal charges, including "calls for actions aimed at harming the national security of the Republic of Belarus" and "creating or participating in an organization to carry out terrorist activity." He was initially held in a KGB pretrial detention facility and was later transferred to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 pending trial.

The trial lasted approximately six weeks, and in November 2022, Stanislav was found guilty of administering more than 30 Telegram chats, including "97" chats, which, according to investigators, were used to distribute extremist materials and coordinate protest activity. He was also charged with forming and coordinating community members, assigning roles and organizing their participation in protests, as well as actions to expand the number of participants and support the activities of the communities.

Alexander was arrested on August 22, 2021, near the dacha of V.O. Sukalo, Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan, for attempted arson. He was possibly provoked by a KGB officer.

In March 2022, Alexander was convicted of "act of terrorism" and sentenced to imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony.

Before his arrest, Andrey worked at EPAM and was previously a law enforcement officer.

He was detained in October 2021 in connection with a criminal case opened under the articles "inciting hatred or discord" and "illegal collection and dissemination of information about private life" and placed in pretrial detention.

In August 2022, Andrei was convicted of transmitting security forces' data to the Telegram channels "Punishermen of Belarus" and "Black Book of Belarus" and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

Sergei, an investigative journalist and editor of the Belarusian portal "Ezhednevnik" (ej.by), was detained on December 8, 2021, following a search and questioning by the Investigative Committee. He was charged with bribery and placed in pretrial detention. Sergei had previously been detained in connection with this case, from March 25 to April 4, 2020.

It later became known that he was also accused of “inciting hatred and discord” and “abuse of power or official authority.”

Human rights organizations assessed the prosecution as evidence of a political motive in the criminal prosecution of the journalist, aimed at forcing him to stop or change the nature of his activities in disseminating information about corruption.

According to Sergei's colleagues, the prosecution was motivated by his high-profile investigative journalism, primarily concerning large-scale corruption in the healthcare sector. Based on these findings, he reported on unprecedented kickbacks in the supply of expensive equipment, the purchase of an unregistered vaccine that was claimed to have been tested on Belarusian children, and the falsification of data on the spread of COVID-19 in Belarus. Moreover, according to him, these actions took place with the approval of the Ministry of Health.

In October 2023, Sergei was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

Vitaly was arrested in November 2021 on charges of "participation in mass riots" and placed in pretrial detention.

In March 2022, he was found guilty of participating in a post-election protest that took place in August 2020 near the Riga shopping center in Minsk. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, he allegedly "along with other aggressive participants, committed vandalism and property destruction: breaking up paving slabs, erecting barricades, and blocking traffic."

Nikita was arrested in November 2021 in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "act of terrorism"—according to investigators, for disabling railway tracks. He was later finally charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: "participation in actions grossly violating public order" and "preparation for participation in mass riots."

In July 2022, Nikita was found guilty of calling for active participation in and participating in the 2020 post-election protests in Minsk, including incidents of "road blocking." Investigators also alleged that he received telescopic batons and stun guns from the administrators of the "OGSB" Telegram chat, as well as instructions for sabotaging the railway.

Sergei was detained in August 2021 as part of a criminal case initiated under the article “act of terrorism”.

According to the indictment, from July 2020 to January 2022, "an organized criminal group operated in Belarus, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine and other countries with the goal of committing extremist crimes. The group included radical individuals, including former and current military personnel, law enforcement officers, athletes and businessmen, who sought to seize power illegally." The case involves charges of attempted arson of the home of MP Oleg Gaidukevich in June 2021 and "organizing mass riots."

Sergei was convicted under several criminal articles to a long term of imprisonment and a fine, and he was also stripped of his military rank.

Alexey, a former military man, communications specialist and director of a company that installs and repairs electric garage doors and barriers, was arrested in September 2021 in a criminal case related to the "Busly Lyatsyats" initiative. Some of the charges involved damaging the car of a Borisov district judge. As a result, he was sentenced to a long prison term and a fine.

Alexey has three children, one of whom is a minor.

Yana was detained in St. Petersburg on November 1, 2021, as part of a criminal case opened under several criminal articles, including "inciting other forms of social hatred and discord," "public calls for the seizure of state power," and "creating or participating in an extremist group."

In May 2022, a Russian court denied Yana temporary asylum.

On August 9, 2022, she was extradited from Russia to Belarus, despite a ban on extradition by the UN Human Rights Committee.

In June 2023, Yana was found guilty of administering the Telegram channel "Vitebsk 97%," in which, according to investigators, she posted messages with "negative assessments of law enforcement officers and government agencies," and allegedly published "calls to harm police officers" and "extremist materials."

Dmitry, a Beltelecom employee, was detained at his workplace on October 28, 2021, as part of a criminal case opened under the articles "illegal seizure of computer information," "inciting social hatred and discord," and "illegal actions in relation to private information and personal data."

In December 2022, he was found guilty of allegedly "extracting personal data of security officials, civil servants, and judges from a database" and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

At first he was in Okrestina. Then he was arrested under the Criminal Code. Relatives note that Denis is a good, honest, fair and sympathetic guy. On pro-government channels, Denis is called the "chief visual editor" of the Supraci movement videos. In the video, Salmanovich says that he was detained by police officers because he "was a member of destructive Telegram channels", "collaborated with "Busly Lyatsyats"" and participated in protests in 2020.

The Court of Appeal reduced the sentence from 10 to 9.5 years' imprisonment.

Denis has a serious illness - chronic glomerulonephritis after hemorrhagic vasculitis. In the summer of 2024, an ambulance took the man from the colony. Salmanovich underwent surgery - his gallbladder was removed. After the operation, the man spent another week in the colony's medical unit until his stitches were removed.

The mother of the political prisoner says that the last time Denis contacted her was in mid-November 2024. After the call, the man was immediately taken to a punishment cell, where he remains to this day (January 2024).

In April 2025, his punishment was increased and he was transferred to prison.

Igor was arrested in October 2021 in connection with a criminal case opened under several articles, including "violence or threat of violence against an official performing official duties or another person performing a public duty."

According to investigators, Igor sent emails to Lukashenko's official website containing threats of violence and posted insults against government officials, including law enforcement officers, and sent similar messages to employees of the Investigative Committee. He also participated in post-election protests in Minsk in 2020.

In June 2022, he was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony. It is also known that the "victims" of the security forces have filed claims for compensation for moral damages.

Andrei, an activist from Vileika, was arrested on August 9, 2021, and sentenced to administrative arrest, which he served in detention centers in Vileika and Smolevichi. He received a total of 90 days of administrative arrest, which he served under harsh conditions. He was then transferred to the Okrestina temporary detention center and then to a pretrial detention center for the criminal case.

In February 2022, he was found guilty of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them" and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.

He was released in July 2023, having fully served his sentence.

In October 2023, he was arrested again for 15 days for congratulating Ukraine on Independence Day on TikTok. The Vileika District Court classified it as "unauthorized picketing."

On February 15, 2024, Andrei went silent. It was later revealed that he was being held in a local temporary detention facility, serving 15 days of administrative arrest. However, he was not released after serving his sentence, as he was detained in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "discrediting the Republic of Belarus."

In July 2024, he was convicted again and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay a large fine.

Alexey, the director of a construction company, was arrested in October 2021 in connection with a criminal case related to the "Busly Lyatsyats" initiative. Some of the charges involved damaging the car of a Borisovsky District judge. As a result, he was sentenced to a lengthy prison term and a fine.

In June 2023, his sentence was increased and he was transferred to a prison regime.

During his imprisonment, Alexei's father died.