All persecuted

Ivan, a Gomel activist and volunteer for “Country for Life”, a member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, left for Russia after several detentions, administrative arrest and the initiation of two criminal cases in 2020.

While in Kaliningrad, Ivan was detained in April 2021 while attempting to cross the border with Poland. At the request of Belarusian law enforcement, he was charged in a criminal case under four articles, including "terrorism". However, after an investigation, the Russian side dropped three of the four charges. A year later, on April 26, 2022, Ivan was released on bail.

On May 27, 2022, he was detained again, and at the end of June, he was extradited to Belarus. According to the case materials, in 2018, he allegedly embezzled more than 68 thousand rubles. The investigation also noted that in 2020, Ivan participated in protests, filmed videos and contacted government agencies.

In December 2022, he was convicted of "fraud." In April 2024, Ivan was convicted again under the article "malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration."

Yevgeny, a former investigator for the Investigative Committee and the initiator of the bychange.me project, was first detained on the evening of November 24, 2020, in Minsk as part of a criminal case initiated under the article “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them.” He was released 10 days later, but in April 2021, he was arrested again and later convicted under six criminal articles, including for “organizing mass riots” in 2020, “inciting other social hatred” in interviews and texts on social networks, as well as for “threatening violence” against the head of the temporary detention facility on Okrestina via tweet.

According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Evgeny was "an active participant in the Telegram chat "KHATA", whose activities are aimed at organizing crimes of an extremist nature." The trial was held behind closed doors, and Evgeny signed a non-disclosure agreement regarding the case materials.

An activist of the "Country for Life" and a member of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's team, Alexander has been repeatedly detained under political administrative articles. He was detained along with another activist, Oleg Boroznaya, who were known to have been under surveillance since the fall of 2020. Alexander was subsequently convicted on fabricated drug-related criminal charges.

Alexey, an activist in the anarchist movement, was detained in March 2021 as part of a criminal case brought against anarchists from the Brest region. He was convicted under several criminal articles, such as “participation in group actions that grossly violate public order” and “creation of an extremist group and participation in it.”

It is known that the charges are based on the episode with the blocking of roads in Brest in 2018 during a protest against the construction of the battery plant, as well as participation in the "March of the Non-Parasites", which took place on March 5, 2017.

Ruslan was arrested in January 2021 and convicted of making and distributing "hedgehogs" in front of a convoy of cars participating in a pro-government rally in the fall of 2020. He was also accused of attempting to damage railway tracks by connecting the rails with metal wire, which could have delayed the movement of trains.

Ruslan is into extreme sports and arboristry. He loves heights and gets a thrill from sitting on a roof or hugging treetops. In prison, he discovered his talent for drawing. In his personal life, he works with wood, grows potatoes, keeps pigs and loves horses.

Ruslan has a benign brain tumor, as well as severe back pain , due to which he sometimes could not get out of bed.

Denis is a journalist and volunteer editor for the Belarusian version of InformNapalm, a freelance correspondent for Novaga Chas. His investigations touched on the influence of the "Russian world" on Belarus and Syria, construction in Kurapaty, and the transition of former Ukrainian Berkut officers to the Belarusian security forces.

In March 2021, he was detained by KGB officers on charges of "interfering with the activities of the police." Searches were conducted in his apartment, his mother's apartment, and his 95-year-old grandmother's apartment. In 2022, it became known that he was also accused of collaborating with Ukrainian intelligence.

In September 2022, Denis was convicted under articles on "treason" and "interference in the activities of an internal affairs officer", but the latter charge was later replaced with "illegal collection or dissemination of data about personal life".

In June 2023, he was transferred to a maximum security prison without notifying his family or lawyer.

In April 2024, the political prisoner was deprived of parcels, and sending vitamins now requires permission from the prison doctor.

Nikita, an anarchist activist, was arrested in March 2021 as part of a criminal case against anarchists from the Brest region. He was convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" and "participating in a criminal organization." The charges stemmed from an incident related to the "March of the Non-Parasites," which took place on March 5, 2017.

Nikita was scheduled for release in early March 2026 after completing his six-year sentence. However, in January, he was retried under Article 411 of the Criminal Code—"malicious disobedience to prison administration"—and received an additional year added to his sentence. Prior to this, the anarchist spent at least four months in a cell-type facility at Shklov Colony No. 17.

Tikhon was arrested and convicted for, according to the Investigative Committee, deliberately running over servicemen of the Ministry of Internal Affairs' internal troops during a protest that took place on August 11, 2020, near the Pushkinskaya metro station in Minsk.

In March 2022, he was re-convicted of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of a correctional facility" - a charge often applied to prisoners who refused to cooperate with prison authorities - and his regime was changed to a strict one.

In February 2026, it became known that a criminal case had been opened against Tikhon for the second time under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration).

Tikhon has serious health problems: his body has difficulty digesting food, he has eye pain, a rapid heartbeat, blood pressure surges, and a weakened immune system.

In mid-March 2026, Tikhon's trial took place in the Mozyr District Court. He was found guilty under Part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code and sentenced to an additional eighteen months in prison, in addition to his 11 years and seven months in prison.

He is being held in pre-trial detention center No. 3.

Alexander was detained after a protest against the results of the presidential elections, which took place on August 11, 2020 in Brest. At this protest, Gennady Shutov was shot in the back of the head, which Alexander witnessed. He was later convicted of resisting and attempting to kill Captain Roman Gavrilov, who shot the protester, and Warrant Officer Arseniy Galitsyn, who acted as victims.

Dmitry was arrested and convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail towards military personnel on August 10, 2020. According to investigators, the bottles were transported to the center of Gomel by Leonid Kovalev, who hid them and handed them over to Dmitry and Nikita Zolotorev that evening with an offer to set fire to a building, bus or paddy wagon. Dmitry partially admitted his guilt, explaining that he threw the cocktail in order to buy time and avoid detention.

In December 2021, he was transferred to prison regime for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution.”

Leonid was arrested and convicted for, according to investigators, making two Molotov cocktails, transporting them to the center of Gomel, and hiding them. On the evening of August 10, 2020, he allegedly found two perpetrators — Dmitry Korneev and Nikita Zolotorev — and handed them the bottles, offering to set fire to a building, a bus, or a paddy wagon. Leonid did not admit guilt.

Nikita was arrested for spraying gas in the face of a riot police officer while he was trying to protect a person at a protest. He was beaten, had his hair cut with a knife, and had gas sprayed in his face. In December 2020, he was sentenced to four years of restricted freedom, but the prosecutor later succeeded in increasing the sentence to two and a half years in prison. Nikita did not appear in court, relaying through a friend that arbitrary detentions were planned in the courtroom, threatening him and others.

Was in forced exile.

At the end of March 2025, it became known that Nikita, who had been hiding from the verdict for four years at that time, was detained in Grodno. As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the man was stopped, he did not have documents with him, so he was asked to go to the station. Nikita resisted the police officers and, allegedly, broke the arm of one of them. It is reported that the man was wanted for allegedly "spraying a gas canister in the face of law enforcement officers" in August 2020. A criminal case was opened against him for this. He left the country, but then illegally returned to Belarus.

Since May 13, 2025, there has been no information about the political prisoner. Correspondence and parcels to him are prohibited. There is also no information about Nikita's case and the court date. In addition, it is reported that the investigator in the political prisoner's case is prohibited from informing Nikita's relatives and friends about the status and progress of the case.

Oleg was arrested and convicted for "hitting" a police officer during a street march in Vitebsk on September 13, 2020. In September 2021, he was transferred to prison for "violating the rules of the order."

In August 2022, Oleg was re-convicted for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution” and was given another year of imprisonment.

On July 25, 2023, the political prisoner was again convicted of “disobeying the demands of the administration” and sentenced to another year in prison.

In September 2024, another hearing was held on the criminal case against Oleg for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution” - a charge that is often applied to prisoners who refuse to cooperate with the prison administration.

Throughout his imprisonment, Oleg is constantly under pressure. He is regularly sent to a punishment cell, where he is kept in isolation for dozens of days.

He was convicted of throwing a Molotov cocktail towards security forces during a protest that took place on August 10, 2020 in Baranovichi.

Vitaly was arrested and convicted for stopping a freight train, painting red stripes on advertising light boxes, puncturing the tires of a police officer's car, setting fire to a Tabakerka kiosk, and handling items containing flammable substances. He explained his actions as a protest against the situation in the country after the presidential elections on August 9, 2020, in particular, against the unjustified detentions and torture of people by security forces.