Andrey Mikhailovich Cedric
Institution "Pre-trial Detention Facility No. 1" of the Department of the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus for the city of Minsk and Minsk Region. Head. Colonel of the Internal Service.
Institution "Pre-trial Detention Facility No. 1" of the Department of the Execution of Punishments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus for the city of Minsk and Minsk Region. Head. Colonel of the Internal Service.
List of repressed
- Associations
- Twice political prisoners
- Politicians
- Law enforcement
Nikolai is a Belarusian politician and the chairman of the United Civil Party. He was first convicted on August 6, 2021, and sentenced to three months in jail for "disclosing investigative data in the Coordination Council case." He served his full sentence and was released on March 26, 2022.
On July 27, 2022, Nikolai was again detained in connection with a criminal case opened under the article "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them." According to the investigation, as stated by Sergei Pasko, head of the Investigative Committee's Minsk office, in August 2020, he allegedly took an active part in mass unrest in Minsk, directing the radical crowd, giving instructions to protesters, and calling for roadblocks and obstructing the movement of vehicles.
In November 2022, Nikolai was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment.
In July 2024, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
- Associations
- Scientists
Tatyana is a sociologist, expert at the Agency for Humanitarian Technologies and coordinator of the Flying University. She was first detained in August 2021 after a search and placed under arrest for 10 days, but after her release she remained a suspect in the criminal case.
She was detained again on March 23, 2022, the day she came to the Investigative Committee to receive a response to her petition to leave for treatment.
In June 2022, Tatyana was convicted for participating in a protest that took place on October 25, 2020, in Minsk, and sentenced to restriction of freedom with referral to a correctional institution.
She was released in the fall of 2024, having fully served her sentence as determined by the court.
- Associations
- Activists
- Journalists
The Belarusian philosopher and methodologist, public and political activist, and founder of the Flying University was detained on August 4, 2021, following a search of his home as part of a criminal investigation. He was ultimately charged with three offenses: "active participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" for participating in the "People's Ultimatum March" on October 25, 2020; "creation of an extremist group" for the "Skhod" platform; and "insulting Lukashenko" for a video posted on his YouTube channel.
In June 2022, Vladimir was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.
On February 13, 2023, the court considered the issue of changing Vladimir's detention regime, as a result of which he was transferred to a prison regime.
On September 11, 2025, it was announced that 52 political prisoners of the Belarusian regime, including citizens of European countries, had been forcibly transferred to Lithuania. Vladimir was among those released.
Alexei was accused of shouting "Long live Belarus!" and "Lukashenko is a rooster!" while on his apartment balcony on May 15, 2021, while intoxicated. The prosecution claims he did this deliberately loudly so that others could hear him. By doing so, they claim, he insulted Lukashenko.
According to human rights activists, he was released in August 2022, having fully served his sentence.
In February 2023, Alexei was tried for "failure to comply with preventive supervision requirements." This is the first case known to human rights activists of a former political prisoner being tried under this article.
Pavel was arrested on June 17, 2021, in connection with a criminal case involving group actions grossly violating public order. In September of that year, he was convicted of participating in the post-election protests that took place in Minsk in August 2020.
In December 2022, he was convicted under a non-political article and sent to a penal colony.
Andrei was first convicted in March 2021 for "insulting Lukashenko" and "insulting a government official" and sentenced to restricted freedom with a referral. However, he didn't have time to serve his sentence in a correctional facility: on May 4, 2021, he was arrested on three additional criminal charges.
In August of that year, Andrei was convicted again – again for insulting Lukashenko – and sentenced to imprisonment.
According to human rights activists, he was released in the winter of 2024, having fully served his sentence.
- Associations
- Twice political prisoners
In 2021, Yuri was accused of publicly insulting Lukashenko while in a hospital in Chechersk.
In June 2022, he was charged with malicious disobedience to the demands of the correctional facility administration. Three days before his release, he was found guilty and sentenced to mandatory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. On July 1, 2022, he was released, having fully served the sentence imposed by the court under his first conviction.
From August 2022, by court order, he was held in the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health and was released in September 2023.
- Associations
- Journalists
Oleg is a journalist for Radio Svaboda, previously worked for the Znamya Yunosti newspaper, and was one of the founders of the RID news agency. In the summer of 2020, he actively covered the protests in Belarus and conducted live streams. In August, he lost his Foreign Ministry accreditation along with other journalists from foreign media outlets.
On July 16, 2021, he was detained during a large-scale search of independent journalists' homes. He was released ten days later, remaining a suspect. On December 23 of that year, security forces again raided his home and took him into custody on charges of "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order or actively participating in them."
In March 2022, the court found Oleg guilty, declaring that he participated in unauthorized protests during which Minsktrans calculated damages of 56,000 rubles.
In September 2022, the journalist was released as part of a pardon.
- Associations
- Activists
- Teachers
Tatyana is a co-founder of the Sympa school for young public administration managers, an expert in the Bipart research project, and a Master of Political Science.
She was detained in Minsk on the night of June 28-29, 2021, at the airport while going through passport control to leave the country. It was known that Tatyana was planning to fly overnight to Tbilisi. It was later learned that she was detained in connection with an open criminal case. Tatyana was taken to the Okrestina temporary detention facility and, a few days later, transferred to a pretrial detention center.
On February 6, 2023, the court began hearing her case on charges of "aiding and abetting actions aimed at seizing power," "calling for actions harmful to national security," and "inciting social discord." On March 17 of that year, the court, behind closed doors, sentenced Tatyana to 10 years' imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
On September 16, 2026, she was released after a visit to Minsk by US President Donald Trump's special representative, John Cole, and taken to Lithuania.
Igor was convicted in July 2021 in a criminal case opened in connection with the August 2020 events in Minsk. According to the prosecution, he took part in protests that took place in the capital from August 9 to 11, 2020. Minsktrans estimated the damage from the public transportation shutdown during those days at 27,958 rubles 50 kopecks. After the verdict was announced, Igor was taken into custody right in the courtroom.
In May 2025, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
- Associations
- Military
- Civil servants
- Parents of minors
Sergei, a retired lieutenant colonel who participated in a video message from reserve officers to the Belarusian military, was detained on July 16, 2021, following a search of his home.
According to Lukashenko's decree, he was stripped of his military rank after 28 years of impeccable service in the Armed Forces. Sergei is a father of four children, two of whom are minors.
In December 2021, he was charged with organizing, preparing, or actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order. Sergei was sentenced to restricted freedom without being sent to a correctional facility and released in the courtroom.
He was convicted again in October 2025. The appellate court sent the case back for retrial. Ultimately, during the retrial, the case was dismissed due to the statute of limitations, and Sergei was released from the courtroom.
- Associations
- Activists
- Human rights activists
Yulia, a human rights activist and volunteer at the Moscow Center for Civil Society and Information (MCGI) "Our House," and the daughter of renowned human rights activist Natalia Goryachko-Basalyga, was detained on July 14, 2021, as part of a criminal case opened under the article "Organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them."
In March 2022, the court found Yulia guilty and sentenced her to imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.
Yulia was released in the courtroom. Her time in custody was counted toward her sentence, so her sentence was considered fully served.
- Associations
- Activists
- Parents of minors
Timur, an activist with the "Honest People" initiative, was arrested on June 16, 2021, at the premiere of the play "White Rabbit, Red Rabbit" and convicted twice under administrative law. After 30 days of administrative arrest, he was not released and was transferred to a pretrial detention center as part of a criminal case opened under the article "Organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order, or active participation therein."
In September 2021, he was found guilty and sentenced to restricted freedom and sent to an open correctional facility.
Timur left Belarus before starting to serve his sentence.
- Associations
- Twice political prisoners
- Human rights activists
Alexander is the chairman and founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center and former vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. He is a laureate of the Andrei Sakharov Freedom Prize and other international human rights awards. He was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize five times and won it in 2022.
Alexander had previously been prosecuted. On August 4, 2011, he was arrested after Lithuania and Poland handed over his bank account information to Belarusian authorities. He was charged with concealing income on an especially large scale. On November 24, 2011, the court sentenced him to imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony with confiscation of property. Alexander pleaded not guilty, claiming that the funds were used exclusively for human rights activities. EU countries, the United States, and international human rights organizations recognized him as a political prisoner, and his sentence was politically motivated. He was released in the summer of 2014 under an amnesty.
On July 14, 2021, Alexander was arrested again following a search of his apartment and office as part of a tax evasion case. In September 2022, that case was dropped, but he was charged with new charges of smuggling and financing group activities that grossly violate public order.
In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation. He pleaded not guilty in court.
In early November 2023, Alexander was placed in a PKT for trumped-up reasons. In April–May 2024, he was returned to his unit, but he continues to be under increased scrutiny. He works in woodworking, receives penalties, and is deprived of parcels, video calls, and correspondence. It is known that his previous stint in the Bobruisk penal colony has left him with health problems that persist.
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 Lithuania.
- Associations
- Human rights activists
- Parents of minors
Valentyn, a member of the Viasna Council and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), is one of the most renowned human rights experts and analysts. He actively advocates for non-discrimination and against the death penalty, and has participated in international conferences, human rights missions, and election observation missions in OSCE countries.
On July 14, 2021, following a search of his apartment, he was taken away for questioning and then remanded in custody as part of a criminal case under the articles "tax evasion" and "organizing actions that grossly violate public order."
In September 2022, the tax evasion case was dropped, but new charges were brought against Valentin: smuggling and financing group activities that grossly violate public order.
On October 27, 2022, during the 41st Congress of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Valentin Stefanovic was re-elected as Vice-President of the organization.
In March 2023, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment and ordered to pay substantial compensation. Valentin pleaded not guilty in court.
According to available information, the conditions of detention were tightened and he was transferred to prison regime.
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.
