All persecuted

Andrey was convicted of "participating 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.

He was brutally detained while trying to leave Belarus. After 15 days of arrest, he was placed in a pretrial detention center for further transfer to "chemistry".

He was released in February 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Vladislav was arrested in February 2021 and convicted under the article on "inciting hatred and discord". According to the charges, from September 20 to 27, 2020, in the Telegram chat of the Punishers group, he posted 13 messages in which he "spoken negatively" and "called for illegal actions" against police officers, military personnel, civil servants and their family members.

According to human rights activists, he was released in December 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Eduard was arrested in March 2021 and convicted of resisting a police officer during a protest that took place in Baranovichi on August 9, 2020, against the falsification of the presidential elections. According to the charges, during the protest he "interfered with the lawful activities of the Internal Troops. He took a piece of paving slab and threw it towards the soldiers who were dispersing the protest, hitting one of them in the shoulder. The resulting bodily injury did not result in a short-term health disorder."

He was released in 2024, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Vladimir, a student at the Aviation Academy, was detained and convicted in a criminal case opened over the events of July 14, 2020, in Minsk, when people took to the streets to protest the Central Election Commission's decision not to register Viktor Babariko and Valery Tsepkalo as presidential candidates. He was sentenced to restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility and ordered to pay large compensation to the "victims."

In 2023, it became known that his punishment had been toughened, replacing the restriction of freedom with imprisonment in a penal colony.

According to human rights activists, he was released in the spring of 2024, having fully served his sentence.

Yuzef, a pensioner, was detained after participating in the "March of Unity" action, which took place on September 6, 2020, in Grodno. He was charged under articles on participation in group actions that violate public order and on the use of violence or the threat of its use against a police officer - because he defended a woman from the brutal actions of riot police.

Initially, Yusef was sentenced to restricted freedom in an open-type institution, but after an appeal by the prosecutor's office, the sentence was reviewed, and ultimately he was sentenced to imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

He was released in July 2022, having served his full sentence.

Alexander was accused of allegedly attempting to run over two Volkovysk police officers with a car after 11:00 p.m. on August 9, 2020, in order to interfere with their work during an unauthorized event. At the end of March 2021, he was sentenced to restriction of freedom with referral to an open-type correctional facility. However, the state prosecutor appealed the sentence, and on June 1 of the same year, the Grodno Regional Court changed the punishment to imprisonment in a penal colony.

According to human rights activists, he was released in 2023, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Dmitry was detained in the fall of 2020 and subsequently convicted on charges of "organizing group actions that grossly violate public order." According to the prosecution, from August 31 to October 30, 2020, he, as the administrator of the Telegram chat "Minsk. Road Blocking. Chat", published instructions on blocking traffic, searched for participants and coordinated their actions.

According to human rights activists, he was released in the summer of 2022, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Vyacheslav was convicted under the article “desecration of a state symbol” and sentenced to restricted freedom with referral to an open-type correctional facility.

According to the case materials, on April 3, 2021, at about 5:25 a.m., while intoxicated, he removed the national flag from a building on Lenin Street. He carried it some distance and then threw it on the ground. As a result, the flagpole broke into three parts and the flag was damaged. Damage in the amount of 2 rubles 44 kopecks was compensated.

He was released in June 2022, having fully served his sentence.

Evgeny, a Gomel activist, was detained after a search of his own apartment on May 28, 2021 and later convicted under the articles “organizing actions that grossly violate public order” and “public insult to a government official.”

He was released in July 2022, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Vadim was detained on April 14, 2021, on the border with Lithuania and later convicted for a comment left on Telegram addressed to the commander of the Minsk riot police, Dmitry Balaba.

He was released in November 2022, having served his full sentence.

Ilya, a student at the Gomel State Technical University, was convicted of insulting Lukashenko. He was found guilty of posting and distributing at least 17 leaflets on August 13, 2020, with an image of Lukashenko and an inscription that investigators said "humiliated his honor and dignity."

He was released in August 2022, having served his full sentence.

Alexey was convicted under the article “Insulting a government official” – in an Instagram group, he left a comment addressed to a police officer who sprayed gas and used violence against protesters.

In March 2022, his sentence was tightened: he was sentenced to 8 months and 23 days in prison.

According to human rights activists, in December 2022, Alexey fully served his sentence as determined by the court.

Ilya was arrested in March 2021 and convicted for participating in protests that took place on August 9-10, 2020 in Minsk. He comes from a large family and was the sole breadwinner at the time of his arrest. The court sentenced him to restricted freedom in an open-type correctional facility.

In February 2022, a court hearing was held, following which the punishment regime was tightened, and Ilya was sent to a penal colony.

He was released in the summer of 2023, having served his entire sentence.

Konstantin was arrested and convicted for a comment left on the social network VKontakte under a photograph of an Interior Ministry employee.

In June 2022, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.

Petr, an entrepreneur and TV repairman, was first arrested in April 2021 in a criminal case brought under the article on slander. The reason was a repost he made on August 23, 2020 on his page on the social network VKontakte - the publication contained an image and a comment from another author regarding an employee of the Baranovichi District Department of Internal Affairs. Petr was subsequently convicted and sentenced to restriction of freedom in an open-type correctional facility, as well as to pay a fine.

In January 2023, he was released on the basis of the amnesty law of December 7, 2021. Later that year, he was again brought to administrative responsibility under Part 2 of Article 19.11 of the Code of Administrative Offenses - for "dissemination, production, storage or transportation of information products containing calls for extremist activity or promoting such activity."

At the end of April 2024, it became known that Pyotr had been arrested again - on suspicion of participating in mass protests that took place in August 2020. A few months later, he was convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" and sentenced to imprisonment by a court decision.