Igor was found guilty in August 2021 of insulting Lukashenko. According to the prosecution, from October 2020 to November 2021, he posted derogatory images of Lukashenko and made offensive comments in the "Help Baranovichi" chat. An expert examination found these statements to constitute a negative assessment of his personality.
According to human rights activists, he was released in the fall of 2023, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Daniil was convicted under the article on "hooliganism" for damaging two Beltelecom cameras and making "cynical inscriptions" as part of a criminal case opened after a protest that took place on September 13, 2020 in Brest. During the protest, people sang and danced in circles, and a water cannon was used against them.
He was released in December 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
| 28.12.2021 | 12/21/2021 was registered as an extremist |
Artem was convicted of "participation 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 released in December 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
- Associations
- Twice political prisoners
Alexander was first arrested in March 2021 and convicted of "participating in group actions that grossly violate public order" in a criminal case opened after a protest on September 13, 2020, in Brest. At that time, the participants were singing and dancing in a circle, and a water cannon was used against them. He served his full sentence and was released in July 2022.
However, in December 2023, it became known about his new arrest in connection with a criminal case opened after spontaneous protests that took place on August 10, 2020 in Brest against falsifications in the presidential elections. In April 2024, he was sentenced to imprisonment for participating in the protest.
He was released in September 2024 as part of a pardon.
Artem was convicted of "participation in group actions that grossly violate public order" in a criminal case opened after a protest on September 13, 2020 in Brest. During the protest, people sang and danced in circles, and a water cannon was used against them. Artem himself claims that he supports Lukashenko's policies, and he was detained because he jokingly went out into the street in a white-red-white flag while intoxicated.
According to human rights activists, he was released in June 2023, having fully served the sentence imposed by the court.
Igor 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.
According to human rights activists, he was released in June 2023, having fully served his sentence.
Gleb 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 released in June 2023, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
- Associations
- Activists
- Students
Artyom, an anarchist activist, was detained on August 4, 2021, by GUBOPiK officers. Upon arrest, they greeted him with the words "Welcome to the Gestapo!" before beating him, forcing him into a "swallow" position, and threatening to rape him, demanding his phone password. The following day, Artyom was convicted under Article 19.1 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (allegedly for aggressive behavior upon arrival at the police station) and sentenced to 15 days in jail. However, he was not released after his arrest.
Artyom was initially charged with "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or actively participating in them." In January 2022, he and other defendants were additionally charged with participating in an extremist group for subscribing to the Telegram channel "Pramen." At the time of his arrest, the channel had not yet been added to the list of extremist groups, which only happened in November 2021.
In April 2022, Artyom was found guilty and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.
According to human rights activists, he was expected to be released in the winter of 2026.
- Associations
- Parents of minors
Irina, the wife of Pyotr Zinevich, who was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom and sent to an open-type facility, was found guilty of "insulting a government official" for her comment under a photo: "Let this ghoul answer for all those who were wrongfully convicted." He had perjured himself in administrative cases, including hers, and this phrase, according to the prosecution, was considered an insult.
On May 25, 2023, Irina was arrested and remanded in custody on trumped-up charges of violating prison regulations. She was also fined 740 rubles for reposting a children's story by Malyavanych on social media, and her detention in the pretrial detention center was assessed at 592 rubles. The social media audit was ordered by a Baranovichi City Department of Internal Affairs officer.
Irina was released from the temporary detention facility on June 26, 2023, and on July 14, 2023, she fully served her sentence, imposed by the court in April 2021.
- Associations
- Retirees
Vladimir, a pensioner and former driver for the Zhlobin District Police Department, was arrested on May 26, 2021, for participating in a protest and remanded in custody three days later. He was accused of allegedly organizing and participating in mass riots in Zhlobin on the night of August 9-10, 2020. He was involved in a group of vehicles, blocking traffic, and resisting police officers. According to the prosecution, he also used violence against police officers while intoxicated, although Vladimir claimed he was sober.
According to human rights activists, he was released in the spring of 2024, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Anton was convicted in August 2021 of tearing down the national flag and sentenced to restricted freedom in an open facility.
According to human rights activists, he was released in April 2023, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Alexander, the deputy director of a special-purpose vehicle manufacturing company, was arrested in June 2021 as part of a criminal case for inciting social hatred. In August of that year, he was convicted for 13 comments left in the Telegram chat "Smorgon-Chat," in which, according to the prosecution, he expressed sharply negative views about police actions during the protests following the presidential elections and also called for violence.
In June 2024, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
- Associations
- Teachers
Andrei, a former history and social studies teacher from Smorgon with nearly 20 years of experience, showed his 11th-graders a video in March 2021 titled "The Constitution Has Gone Into Prostitution!" featuring a logo deemed extremist in Belarus. One of the students filmed it on his phone and posted it in a family chat. Afterward, Andrei was fired and a criminal case was opened under the article "Slander against Lukashenko." In August 2021, he was convicted and sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony.
In January 2023, he was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
- Associations
- Civil servants
Yuri, the head of the financial department of the Leninsky District Administration, was arrested on April 30, 2021, and convicted five times under administrative law, receiving 50 days of arrest. He was subsequently transferred to a pretrial detention center on charges under two articles of the Criminal Code: "organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them" and "insulting Lukashenko."
In August of that year, he was convicted of participating in post-election protests that took place in Minsk in August 2020, as well as for reposting them on Telegram.
In April 2024, Yuri was released, having fully served his sentence imposed by the court.
Natalia was convicted in August 2021 in a criminal case opened on charges of insulting Lukashenko and destroying official documents. According to the prosecution, police officers arrived at Natalia's home on May 27, 2021. There, according to investigators, she "publicly insulted" Lukashenko with the words "we have a f*cking state" and "a f*cking president," thereby committing a crime, according to the prosecution. An hour later, investigators conducted a search of her apartment. During the search, the prosecution alleges, Natalia, "wanting to express her superiority and permissiveness," tore up the police report, thereby "damaging an official document."
She was released in March 2022 as part of a pardon.
