News

On February 19, human rights defenders learned that two political prisoners, Mikalai Statkevichand Natallia Levaya, were released. The politician had a stroke. He is recovering and still has problems with speaking. Mikalai is currently at home in Belarus with his wife. Natallia is an illustrator from Brest who became pregnant in the penal colony after a meeting with her husband. She is expecting a baby soon. She was pardoned by Lukashenka. Human rights defenders have no information about other released political prisoners.

On September 11, Lukashenka pardoned Statkevich and 51 other prisoners. All except Mikalai were forcibly transferred from places of imprisonment into Lithuania. Mikalai refused to be deported, and on the way to the Lithuanian border, he kicked down the bus door and jumped out into the neutral zone between the countries. A few hours later, he returned to the territory of Belarus, where he was detained and put back behind bars.

On January 21, Mikalai had a stroke — he was in intensive care for almost a month.

On February 19, Zmitser Bandarenka, coordinator of the European Belarus civil campaign, managed to talk to Mikalai Statkevich after his release. The politician does have some speech problems. The ex-political prisoner said that he had been in intensive care for a month after a stroke and needed some time to recover. Mikalai gave his regards to Andrei Sannikau and thanked all Belarusians for their support. To Zmitser's question: "What would you like to say to Belarusians?" He replied, "Live with dignity!"

In July 2024, Natallia was sentenced to six years in a penal colony for making donations under three criminal articles: "financing extremist activities," "financing participation in military operations on the territory of a foreign state," and "financing the activities of an extremist group." Natallia Levaya, a 39-year-old political prisoner, is expecting a baby in March 2026. 

On February 19, Lukashenka's press service reported that Natallia had been pardoned "based on the principles of humanity and taking into account the convict's life situation (the woman is pregnant)." It was also noted that her personal appeal to Lukashenka for pardon, active repentance, and behavior while serving her sentence were taken into account.

Later, propagandists showed footage of the pardoned Natallia Levaya. Her mother and husband came to the penal colony to meet the pregnant woman. Natallia had a yellow tag, which became a kind of symbol of political prisoners in Belarus.

"Today, I'm most worried about Natasha. A miracle happened: after a meeting with her husband, she became pregnant. Before that, the couple had not been able to have a child for a long time. Natasha's due date is around March. I really want it to happen in different conditions," said her former cellmate, Maryna Zolatava.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

On February 20, during her visit to Vienna, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a speech at the joint plenary session of the three main OSCE committees.

She emphasized support for Ukraine and the urgent need to stop Russian aggression. She also called on the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and participating states to maintain attention on Belarus, keep pressure on the regime, and prepare for the moment when a window of opportunity for change opens in the country:

“Ukraine is fighting for all of us – for Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, and all of Europe. Ukraine is fighting for peace, democracy, and human rights – the very values that the OSCE cherishes. 

It is essential to give Ukraine everything it needs to win and to stop Russian aggression. If we want genuine peace in Europe, we must weaken Putin and his ally Lukashenka. The outcome of this war will also affect the future of Belarus. It could open a window of opportunity for us. And there are two scenarios: Belarus either remains in Russia’s orbit, with nuclear weapons, troops, and Oreshniks – which means a constant threat to our neighbors – or it finally becomes free, restores its independence, freedom, and rule of law – and fulfills its obligations to the OSCE.

We must not allow Belarus to become a consolation prize for Putin. Belarus is not Russia. We stand with Ukraine. We are a proud European nation with our own culture and identity”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

This was reported by the association "Talaka - Friends of Belarus in Denmark":

"We have great news: after two years of persistent and intensive work in Denmark, the first alien's passport (fremmedpas) has been issued to a Belarusian woman! This event marks a major milestone for both the Belarusian community in Denmark and especially for those Belarusians who, for political reasons, cannot contact the Belarusian authorities.

The issuance of this document is the result of extensive collective efforts by a group of Talaka activists. Significant roles were played by the support of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and her Office, as well as the attention from Danish authorities and state institutions.

The statements made by the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, were of particular importance. Another key factor was the involvement of the Danish Parliamentary Ombudsman, Kristian Britten Lundblad.

Representatives of Danish political parties actively joined the process, including members of Moderaterne, SF, and Venstre — the Liberal Party of Denmark. Especially vital support came from the SF solidarity group, which consistently raised the issue of protecting the rights of Belarusians in Denmark.

Danish media outlets made a significant contribution as well. Special mention should be made of Berlingske correspondent Emil Rottbøll. His publications provided the necessary publicity, bringing the problem to the level of national discussion and encouraging a more attentive approach from the responsible institutions.

Significant attention was also given to the topic by Danish Radio correspondent Matilde Kimer and Politiken’s international commentator Michael Jarlner.

The professional discussion was further strengthened by Professor Jens Vedsted-Hansen — one of Denmark's leading experts in migration law and Professor Emeritus at Aarhus University. His assessments emphasized the need for the correct application of updated legislation, as well as the importance of legal certainty and the protection of applicants' rights in cases regarding the issuance of alien's passports.

For Belarusians in Denmark, this decision holds not only practical but also symbolic significance. An alien's passport allows one to travel legally and handle everyday matters without the risk of contacting Belarusian state bodies. At the same time, it confirms that Denmark, in practice, supports those who stand for democratic values and human rights.

The Belarusian community expresses its sincere gratitude to everyone who participated in this process and supported it at various levels. This milestone is the result of solidarity, persistence, and cooperation between civil society, politicians, experts, and Danish institutions."

Source: People's Embassies of Belarus

At the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya delivered a keynote address during the panel “The Fight for Democracy in Belarus”.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya addressed the situation of political prisoners in the country, emphasized Belarusians’ opposition to the war in Ukraine, and called for distinguishing between the regime and the Belarusian people.

She also urged the international community to:

• refrain from normalizing relations with the regime;

• demand the unconditional release of all political prisoners;

• increase pressure on those responsible for torture;

• support civil society and the families of prisoners;

• hold the regime accountable.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Former political prisoner Aliaksei (name changed for security reasons) spent almost two years in a penal colony for participating in peaceful protests: cold punitive isolation cells and cell-type rooms, humiliation, and constant punishments for political prisoners. After his release at the end of the term, he was forced to leave the country due to not being able to find work and police control. The man and his family have been living in Italy for more than two years. Aliaksei told Viasna about the cold in the Babrujsk penal colony, the support from Andrzej Poczobut, settling down in a new country, and the reason he does not tell Italians that he was in prison in Belarus.

"All political prisoners were transported in handcuffs"

The man served his sentence for the protests in the Babrujsk penal colony. He says that the most difficult thing there was staying in a cold punitive isolation cell (SHIZO) and a cell-type room (PKT):

"For me, the hardest part was the cold in winter in PKT. The heating barely worked at night. In addition, the penal colony's administration systematically arranged drafts. They called it 'airing.' In the Babrujsk PKT, the doors to the cell are made so that you can put your fist under them — that's how drafts from the corridor came into the cell. For example, I always covered the doors from below with a rag that I used to clean the floor. It helped a bit."

Aliaksei, talking about the biased attitude towards political prisoners in the penal colony in 2022, immediately recalls difficult transfers:

"We were transported from the pre-trial detention center to the penal colony in a special train car. In this car, all the political prisoners were transported in handcuffs. Regardless of the length of sentence — one, two, five years — everyone was handcuffed. And people convicted for serious crimes and with long sentences — 8–13 years — were not handcuffed.

As soon as you get to the penal colony from the pre-trial detention centre, you can feel the difference from the first days — all political prisoners have two violation reports drawn up against them at once. For example, there are about 70 people in quarantine, and five of them are political prisoners. Accordingly, these five people get two violation reports each, while the remaining 65 leave quarantine without violations. And this is repeated systematically. And, of course, SHIZO and PKT are constantly filled with political prisoners.

It was scary to go to SHIZO for the first time. But, everyone is scared the first time, and then everything goes smoothly [laughs]. I was having a good time alone. Only the cold was a problem."

The former political prisoner notes that his physical health suffered the most due to the low level of medical care:

"I had to beg for pills in the penal colony. With a fever, I had to go to the industrial zone to work. Only if there is a danger that you will die or you are really very ill, then they begin to treat you somehow."

"I met many good people during my imprisonment"

Aliaksei says that his personal beliefs and support of other political prisoners helped to preserve human dignity in terrible conditions:

"I even got lucky at some point. I met many good people during my imprisonment. And maybe it will seem strange to some — I learned a lot there. For example, in the Žodzina pre-trial detention center, I was with Andrzej Poczobut for three months. Andrzej himself stayed strong, although he told us and understood even then that he would get a long term. But he did not lose heart and psychologically supported many of the guys with advice and kind words."

"The state does not allow us to return to a free life"

Shortly after his release, Aliaksei and his family left Belarus.

"The state does not allow us to return to a free life after the release. After incarceration, all political prisoners are placed under supervision. That means you need to go to the police station and report every week. During these visits, they can threaten you and talk in a certain way. You receive regular calls from the police and are invited to various conversations. They come home and to check you. Although you don't have to be at home. If you're leaving your city, you should warn them. But the main thing is the difficulty of getting a job. If you are on the lists of 'extremists' and 'terrorists', you will not get a job in Belarus. No boss wants to hire you. In general, the state is doing everything to make you leave after your release."

"If I tell an Italian that I was in prison, it will alienate him"

The man moved with his family to Italy. The most difficult thing for him in integrating into a new society was learning the language:

"It took a long time to start talking and understanding. When my language skills got better, life got better. It helps to restore calmness. There is always some negative news in Belarus: the state continues to imprison all dissenters, constant inflation and rising prices, and constant lies from the authorities. Things are more positive in a different country. Everything is stable. You can plan, travel, and not worry about a visa. You feel much more free in this regard."

It was very difficult to build new social ties in a new country, says the former political prisoner:

"You come to another country, and you don't really know anyone. You don't know the language. You don't have a job. Only life experience. But then slowly everything starts coming into place. Children go to school, and you get to know some parents. Neighbors, work, and everything is getting better. One needs patience."

Aliaksei says that in Italy, he does not speak about being a political prisoner.

"Many Italians don't even know where the Republic of Belarus is located. They don't know what happened here in 2020. We are starting a new life here, and if I tell an Italian that I was in prison, it will alienate him from me. He probably won't understand why I was in prison, but it might affect our relationship. In general, when there we talk with Italians about politics, we tell them what happened in the country and send YouTube links so that they can take a look."

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, to discuss the situation of political prisoners in Belarus and international efforts to secure their release.

The parties discussed: 

• the releases of political prisoners and the efforts supporting this process;

• the US humanitarian track;

• the condition of those released from prison and the needs of repressed individuals.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Humanitarian efforts by the United States must be supported and continued, but at the same time, a systemic change in the regime’s policies must be achieved”.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also emphasized the deportation that individuals released from prison often face. Many are deprived of documents and cannot return home. Released prisoners also face the threat of renewed persecution. She stressed that the international community must work not only for the release of individuals but also for a complete end to repression.

The parties also discussed UN communication with Minsk regarding the release of political prisoners and the possible visit of High Commissioner Türk to Belarus.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

On the second day of the Munich Security Conference, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the panel discussion “Spotlight on Belarus” to reflect on the country’s future amid a new geopolitical reality.

The discussion also included: 

• Kęstutis Budrys, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs;

• Peter Welch, United States Senator;

• Prof. Dr. Gwendolyn Sasse, Director of the Center for East European and International Studies.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya outlined the key priorities of international policy toward Belarus:

• Release of political prisoners and non-recognition of the regime

“Every release saves a life, but humanitarian outcomes must not be confused with political ‘normalization’. Around 300 people have already been released, but at least a thousand remain behind bars, and the repressive machine continues to operate: new people are detained in place of those released. Humanitarian steps must not mean recognition of the regime”.

• Military integration with Russia as a threat to sovereignty 

“Europe understands that as long as Lukashenka remains in power, this will pose a constant threat to the security of the European Union’s borders. The issue of Belarus must be part of all negotiations on regional security”.

• Support for Belarusians in exile

“Belarusians in exile face political persecution. They need stable legal status, travel documents, access to education, employment, and banking services. We must balance pressure on the regime with support for people in order to remain a strong alternative to the ‘Russian world’ and to prepare a better future for Belarusians”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

A meeting of the “For a Democratic Belarus” Parliamentary Group took place in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Participants included:

• Anatoli Liabedzka, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Parliamentary Cooperation;

• Sviatlana Shatsilina, Head of the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Ukraine;

• Iaroslav Chornogor, Director of the Russian and Belarusian Studies Program at the Ukrainian Prism Foreign Policy Council.

Sviatlana Shatsilina presented the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Ukraine.

The meeting also addressed: 

• legislative initiatives concerning the legal status and integration of Belarusians in Ukraine;

• parliamentary patronage over individual cases involving Belarusians, including volunteers, their families, and activists;

• the organization of the Path to Freedom Conference and the Ostrogski Forum;

• drawing on the experience of the Verkhovna Rada to prepare the Positive Alternative, a package of reform and legislative proposals for Belarus;

• engaging MPs in the Libereco campaign of symbolic godparenthood for political prisoners;

• cooperation with the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Ukraine and within international parliamentary organizations.

Additionally, the parties discussed the possibility of holding a meeting of the International Alliance of Parliamentary Groups “For a Democratic Belarus” in Kyiv in 2027.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Chairman of the Human Rights Center Viasna, winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, Ales Bialiatski, gave an interview to the Polish edition of Newsweek, where he spoke about the feeling of freedom, the cold in a punitive isolation cell, and also reflected on the legitimization of the regime and plans for the future. Here are some quotes from the interview.

Ales Bialiatski has been free for almost two months after four and a half years of imprisonment. He now lives in Oslo. When asked about his feelings after getting released, he notes that he still can not get over his excitement.

"It's like getting out into the fresh air from a room filled with some kind of toxic gas. You breathe deeply. Everything seems beautiful. Everything is interesting. When I walk past storefronts, I want to buy something. When I see a restaurant, I think of trying some dish there. My wife has to restrain me. 'Ales, enough. Let's go!' she says and leads me away (laughs). After many years of prison regulations — getting up at 5:00 a.m., bedtime at 10 p.m. — I can finally wake up and go to bed whenever I want. No one who has never been in prison will understand how wonderful freedom is. It's like being born again."

The human rights activist believes that he was not physically tortured due to his status as a Nobel laureate.

"I think the penal colony employees had clear instructions from above, from Minsk, to treat me better than the rest of the political prisoners. I won't say that they respected me because of this — they were just afraid to harm me. That doesn't mean I didn't suffer. When I was already in the penal colony, I was put in a punitive isolation cell (SHIZO) and tortured with cold. In SHIZO, you have very thin clothes, and in fall or winter the temperature drops to 8-10 degrees Celsius. It's just impossible to sleep in this cold. You take a nap for 15-20 minutes, and during this time your body cools down so much that you wake up from convulsions. After several nights sleepless from the cold in SHIZO you think only about being in some warm place. I know what I'm talking about because I've been through it. I spent a total of 38 days in SHIZO."

Ales Bialiatski notes that during his imprisonment, he became convinced that there are practically no people working there who believe in what Lukashenka says and strongly support the regime.

"Careerists harass prisoners for promotion, but they don't believe in the system. Most of them are people who consider working in the penal colony as a means of livelihood. In this regard, the situation has changed a lot since my previous term. Then there were still ideological employees."

In a conversation with the human rights defender, the journalist noted that the last group of political prisoners was released because Donald Trump decided to negotiate with Lukashenka. The price of their freedom was the lifting of some of the sanctions. Hence the question: isn't the American president legitimizing the regime in this way?

"The Americans offered negotiations on the release of political prisoners in exchange for the gradual lifting of sanctions, but not because they consider Belarus to be a particularly important country in the region. I think the main goal of the Trump administration is to stop the war in Ukraine, and an agreement with Lukashenka, according to Washington, can bring this goal closer, since the dictator has some minimal influence on Putin. In addition, the White House wanted to prevent Belarus from actively getting involved in the war, and there was such a risk. Two or three years ago, I myself was afraid that Belarusian soldiers would be sent to the front, and Lukashenka would turn from Putin's ally into his comrade-in-arms.  

Answering the question, the regime is engaged in some kind of human trafficking with Trump's envoy [John Coale — ed.], and treats us, political prisoners, like a commodity. As you know, no one asks a commodity if it wants to be sold and for how much. I repeat that without tougher sanctions after 2022, these exchanges would never happen, so the European Union must keep applying pressure on the regime. The harsh policy towards the regime is correct, I have always supported it and will continue to support it. Moreover, since the release of our group, at least one hundred political prisoners have been arrested. The regime frees some, and imprisons others."

Ales Bialiatski believes that democratic transformations in Belarus are inevitable:

"I started my opposition activity in my youth in the early 80s... At that time, the Soviet Union still existed, the Communist Party wielded absolute power, and the Warsaw Pact guarded order. Those were dark times, but we looked at the Polish Solidarity with hope. Today, we have more allies, and thanks to the change of generations, the Belarusian society is more open to change. The actual support level of the regime has reached the bottom. This is a junta whose power is based on brute force. Without the support of the security forces and the army, Lukashenka would have lost power. The regime won't collapse tomorrow, but the current situation won't last long. Changes are inevitable, although today it is difficult to predict what will be the trigger. It is important that we are ready for them. As for me, I will continue to do what I have been doing until 2021 — protecting human rights and democracy in Eastern Europe. I hope that thanks to this, the world community will be more interested in Belarus."

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

Aliaksei (name changed for security reasons) lived in a regional town and worked in a warehouse as a picker. The man joined the protests and actively expressed his opinion on social and political events on the Internet. Aliaksei was detained in 2022, after which he was beaten and threatened with the rape of his wife. A year later, the political prisoner was sentenced to three years in a penal colony on defamation charges.

Aliaksei spoke with Viasna about his detention with beatings and threats to his family, as well as about an attempt to recruit him by the KGB as a condition of pardon.

"We marched to the pre-trial detention center, where I later found myself"

Before the protests of 2020, Aliaksei, like many other Belarusians, had a normal life: he worked in a warehouse as a picker and at the same time attended Polish language courses and studied to become a tester and move to Poland.

In 2020, Aliaksei did not participate in the first three most brutal days of protests, but he read the news online.

"When the mass beating of people on the streets had already stopped, my family and I joined the protests in the city center. We also marched to the pre-trial detention center, where I later found myself."

"Now we'll return to your flat and anally rape your wife"

Aliaksei was detained in April 2022. After the security forces entered Aliaksei's apartment, they immediately pinned him down to the floor. During the detention, they beat him on the kidneys. Later, in a minibus, the officers threw him on the floor between chairs, and put their feet on Aliaksei's back.

"They asked me for my phone password. I said I wouldn't give it. I was immediately hit for this. They beat me in the kidneys. After that, they hurt for a year. They pulled my beard and shouted, 'We're going to rip your beard off. If you're such a hero, now we'll return to your flat and anally rape your wife. Then let's see if you unlock the phone.' The handcuffs, which were locked very tightly, left marks. My hands hurt for six months after that.

The security forces said that there was no need to waste so much time on all of us: 'You are fascists. We should blow up your houses along with your families. Take you outside and shoot you.'"

Aliaksei was taken to various law enforcement agencies all day, and in the evening, he was placed in a temporary detention facility, where the man spent three days.

"At first, they gave me bed linen. Soon the officers came back and said, 'Give it back, because we haven't looked what article you were detained under.' I was woken up for checkups every three hours at night. My cellmate shared his coat with me. The officers came and said that if he shared it again, they would also take away his bed linen. So afterwards I slept right on the iron bunks."

After several days in the temporary detention facility, Aliaksei was taken to the Investigative Committee. According to the source, he was lucky, and the investigator placed him under house arrest instead of putting him into a pre-trial detention center.

Called Lukashenka a “mass murderer”

During 2020–2022, Aliaksei left many online comments on political and anti-war topics. Because the man called Lukashenka a ghoul, he was accused of "insulting Lukashenka" (Article 368 of the Criminal Code).

"I was accused of 'slander against Lukashenka' (Article 367 of the Criminal Code) for writing a comment about military parades and mass events during the COVID-19 pandemic. I wrote that Lukashenka was a 'mass murderer.'”

In addition, Aliaksei called the Russian soldiers on the territory of Ukraine "fascist invaders," which became the reason for the accusation under Article 130 of the Criminal Code.

As a result, in February 2023, Aliaksei was sentenced to three years of general security imprisonment in a penal colony under Part 2 of Article 367, Article 368, and Article 130 of the Criminal Code. Prosecutor Astapenka requested that the political prisoner be sentenced to four years of imprisonment.

"My lawyer was disbarred for helping political prisoners, and I was given a public defender. She didn't show any initiative at all and even wrote the appeal with mistakes."

"Sometimes I had to choose — either use the bathroom today to do a number two or to eat": the lack of free time in the penal colony

Aliaksei received the first violation record for "not saying hello." The second one for "voluntarily leaving the place of work," although the political prisoner was actually at his workplace, the source says. The third violation report was for the mismatch of items in the prisoner's bag and the description of his belongings.

"But it's not possible for those items to match. For example, you have 15 free minutes. You run into the room to get a couple of candies or an apple. And you should immediately write it down in the list of your belongings and change the number of those candies — minus one candy. It's impossible to track it because you have no free time.

In total, we had about three free hours, distributed throughout the day — 15 minutes here, 20 there. Sometimes I even had to choose — either use the bathroom today to do a number two or to eat. I thought, I did number two yesterday, so today I can have time to eat."

"The KGB offered to 'make amends to the Motherland'"

Before the pardon, representatives of the prosecutor's office came to the penal colony and summoned the political prisoners for talks. Soon after the prosecutors, KGB officers came to the prisoners to have a conversation. They offered to "make amends to the Motherland."

"They wanted some kind of active repentance and assistance to the state. That is, they hinted at cooperation. If they ask, to call someone, send something, and so on. And they threatened that if I didn't cooperate, I wouldn't be pardoned or my sentence might be extended. In the end, I refused to cooperate."

Aliaksei's release was unexpected for him. One morning, without warning, he was led out of the industrial zone and told to get ready, as he had to be at the checkpoint in five minutes. Immediately after his release, Aliaksei was banned from leaving the country, but after the elections in January 2025, the ban was lifted, the source says.

"I understood that with my political experience it was dangerous to stay in Belarus. If anything happens, they don't even need to prove anything. I am on the 'list of extremists'. They can just come to me and accuse me of anything. And with my articles, it's also difficult to find a job in Belarus."

As a result, Aliaksei left Belarus and is now adapting to his new life in one of the EU countries.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

This week, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya began working in Warsaw, where the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will soon open and operate both in Warsaw and Vilnius. Part of the team will relocate to Warsaw, in particular those who speak Polish and are well acquainted with the Polish context, including the Chief Advisor, Franak Viacorka, and the Senior Political Advisor, Alexander Dabravolski. This move will help strengthen relations with Poland. Meetings with representatives of the Belarusian community are currently taking place, along with preparations of the physical office space for the start of operations.

Over the past few days, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has met with representatives of the Belarusian community spaces in Warsaw, former political prisoners, members of the Coordination Council, and civil society initiatives that support those subjected to repression. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also visited a shelter and met with representatives of the media community and the volunteer movement. She held meetings with Viktar Babarykaand his team, as well as with Pavel Latushka and the National Anti-Crisis Management. On Saturday, February 7, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will take part in a Coordination Council hearing.

With the opening of the Office in Warsaw, the Vilnius Office will continue its work, retaining its registration and diplomatic accreditation.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I will also seek to visit Lithuania frequently and would like Vilnius to remain our diplomatic center of operations, as well as one of the centers of the democratic forces and civil society of Belarus. That is why a large part of my team, including the international department, will continue working in Lithuania. The director of the Vilnius Office will be my Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski. Advisors who have worked with Lithuanian colleagues over recent years, such as Anatoli Liabedzka, will remain in Vilnius. Part of the United Transitional Cabinet will also stay in Vilnius, in particular the Representative for Social Policy, Volha Zazulinskaya.

We are expanding our activities to Warsaw, and I hope our presence here will strengthen coordination with Polish and international allies, as well as with the Belarusian community in Poland. Poland is currently home to the largest Belarusian community in exile. At the same time, we continue our work in Lithuania and with the Lithuanian government. We are grateful to the Polish and Lithuanian governments for their continued support of our movement and solidarity”.

Together with the United Transitional Cabinet, the National Anti-Crisis Management, the Coordination Council, civil society and human rights initiatives, international partners, and organizations providing systematic assistance, the Office will continue its work toward the release of political prisoners and an end to repression.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office will also continue addressing the challenges faced by Belarusians abroad and inside the country, drawing international attention to Belarus, advocating for international support for independent media, cultural and educational initiatives, and working to bring about change in Belarus.

Our goals remain unchanged – a free and independent Belarus, systemic change in the country, and the opportunity for all Belarusians to return home safely.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Diplomatic Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski, paid a working visit to Washington. Below are the key meetings and outcomes of the visit.

HEARING IN CONGRESS

On February 3, Dzianis Kuchynski spoke at a hearing of the US Congress’ Human Rights Commission dedicated to the situation in Belarus. The hearing was chaired by Congressman Christopher Smith. Alongside Kuchynski, the hearing featured Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Vytis Jurkonis of Freedom House, and international human rights lawyer Jasmine Cameron.

A recording of the hearing is available on YouTube. Dzianis Kuchynski spoke about the situation of political prisoners in Belarus. He described their conditions as systemic torture: cold, isolation, incommunicado detention, lack of contact with relatives, pressure on families and lawyers, and placement in punishment cells:

“Conditions for political prisoners are worsening, not improving. Many of them were recently placed in temporary detention facilities without heating, at temperatures reaching –30°C in Belarus. This is real torture. One of the victims is Artsiom Liabedzka, the son of President Tsikhanouskaya’s advisor. Artsiom’s life was destroyed simply because his family stood up for democracy”.

Dzianis Kuchynski emphasized the situation of women political prisoners, describing it as critical even within the broader crisis. He conveyed testimony from Maryna Zolatava, who, after her release, called for special attention to women who have been imprisoned the longest, suffer from serious illnesses, or are of advanced age:

“Her message was urgent and clear: we must focus on those who have been imprisoned the longest, those with serious health conditions, and elderly women. One such case is Iryna Melkher, a 70-year-old woman with severe health problems. Another is my university colleague, human rights defender Marfa Rabkova, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison”, he noted.

Mr. Kuchynski called for intensified efforts to secure the release of all political prisoners, to hold another round of the US Strategic Dialogue with the democratic forces of Belarus, and to continue systematic support for Belarusian democratic institutions.

The full text of the speech is available at the link.

MEETINGS AT THE WHITE HOUSE

As part of the visit, Mr. Kuchynski held two meetings at the White House – with the Special Assistant to President Donald Trump and Director for European Affairs, Charles McLoughlin, and with the Senior Advisor to Vice President J.D. Vance, Spiro Ballas.

The meetings focused on continuing the previous agreements, humanitarian efforts to secure the release of political prisoners, the impact of negotiations around Ukraine on the situation in Belarus, and the growing hybrid threats posed by the regime to EU countries. 

On behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski thanked the United States administration for practical humanitarian results and presented a proposal from the United Transitional Cabinet outlining a possible role for the United States as an international mediator in future democratic transformations in Belarus.

More details on the meetings at the White House.

OTHER MEETINGS

In addition to the congressional hearing, Dzianis Kuchynski’s three-day visit to Washington included a wide range of diplomatic meetings with international partners and US government representatives. Briefings and meetings were also held with teams of US senators and members of Congress.

Meetings took place with:

• EU Ambassador to the United States, Jovita Neliupšienė,

• Lithuanian Ambassador to the United States, Gediminas Varvuolis,

• Norwegian Ambassador and former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anniken Huitfeldt.

The main focus of these meetings was the situation of political prisoners in Belarus, international pressure on the Lukashenka regime, and further actions in support of democratic transformation.

Dzianis Kuchynski also met with the leadership of the National Endowment for Democracy and the President of the International Republican Institute, Daniel Twining, to discuss long-term support for Belarusian civil society and democratic institutions.

On behalf of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchynski expressed gratitude to President Donald Trump and his administration for practical humanitarian outcomes, including the release of a group of political prisoners on December 13, as well as for the work of the Special Envoy to Belarus, John Coale.

Dzianis Kuchynski: “The visit to Washington confirmed that support for the Belarusian people, the fight for the release of political prisoners, and the restoration of democracy in Belarus remain an important part of the international agenda.

While US humanitarian steps contribute to the release of political prisoners, the European track with coordinated pressure remains key to ensuring systemic change in Belarus. This solidarity and principled stance are crucial for the future of a free and sovereign Belarus”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

On February 5, 2025, the Belaruski Hajun bot was hacked. Belaruski Hajun was a Telegram-based project where Belarusians reported Russian military movements through Belarus toward Ukraine. Users submitted photos and information about convoys, enabling the project to document Russia's use of Belarusian territory in its invasion of Ukraine. Following the hack, mass detentions began, eventually forming one of Belarus's largest political criminal cases. 

As of February 5, 2026, Viasna human rights defenders have identified 175 confirmed defendants — individuals detained or convicted for sending messages to the so-called "extremist" bot. Detentions and trials continue weekly. Sentencing practices have shifted over the year: while imprisonment was common initially, home confinement is now more frequent. Authorities have also offered to drop charges in exchange for "voluntary" donations to state institutions.

One year after the repression began, Viasna examines who continues to be persecuted in the Belaruski Hajun case, the methods used by security forces, and how this case serves as a tool for systematic intimidation.

Criminal persecution

With the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians across the country photographed columns of Russian military equipment on Belarusian territory and transmitted information to the military activity monitoring project "Belaruski Hajun" or independent media.

In early February 2025, the Telegram channel "Belaruski Hajun" reported that their bot had been hacked. It contained vulnerable information, including personal data of those who interacted with the bot. After the hack, monitoring project leader Anton Matolka publicly acknowledged that a third party had gained access and announced the termination of Belaruski Hajun's operations. The channel itself was designated as an "extremist formation" back in 2022. Therefore, persecution started for messages to the project under Article 361-4, Parts 1 and 2 of the Criminal Code (aiding extremist activity).

The first detention following the Belaruski Hajun database hack was reported on February 6, the day after the breach. A pro-government Telegram channel published a video of 42-year-old Mazyr Oil Refinery employee Maksim Nikitsenka, whose home was searched.

Viasna human rights defenders have identified at least 175 confirmed defendants in the Belaruski Hajun case who have been detained. The actual number is likely higher, but the full extent remains unclear due to the Lukashenka regime's efforts to conceal the scale of repression. Detentions in this case continue to occur weekly.

Trials began in summer 2025. According to Viasna, over 102 people have been convicted: at least 31 received prison sentences, 22 were sentenced to home confinement, and 21 to open-type correctional facilities. Most were also fined between $7,300 and $11,700.

Since September, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has added large numbers of those convicted of aiding extremist activity to its "extremist list," most of whom are involved in the Belaruski Hajun case. Since early 2026, 69 people convicted under Article 361-4 have been added. According to a former political prisoner, most inmates in Remand Center No. 1 since the fall were detained for messages to Belaruski Hajun:

“All the new detainees that fall were held because of the Belaruski Hajun case. One day, 40 people connected to this case arrived from the Minsk TDF. In just one day! Eventually, there was no more room in the remand center. They started releasing arrestees and imposing other pre-trial restrictions, such as bail. When I was detained, those options didn’t exist. I remember a time when eight people were packed into an adjacent cell, all political prisoners from the Belaruski Hajun case. I also met women who were defendants in this case.” 

Since summer 2025, relatives of political prisoners have increasingly made "charitable contributions" to state organizations. Courts often consider these transfers, especially when combined with expressions of remorse, as mitigating circumstances. Initially requested through letters and later by lawyers, this practice has become widespread and offers hope for reduced sentences.

Viasna human rights defenders report that one detainee in the Belaruski Hajun case was required to make a "charitable contribution" to secure release without criminal charges. He was told to transfer several thousand dollars to the National Center for Medical Response Organization in exchange for dropping charges related to a single message sent to the bot.

"They told him: 'If you don't come yourself tomorrow, we'll come for you.' They said openly: 'If you refuse, you'll go [to detention] immediately.' He was given a paper with an account number and several days to pay. If he did not pay, there would be consequences. He paid. No documents were signed, only an oral agreement: once he paid, they would forget about him," a source familiar with the detainee's situation told Viasna.

Large fines and coerced "charitable contributions" have made this case both a tool of repression and a means of forced monetary collection.

Ukraine's reaction

In October 2025, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a statement on the repression in the Belaruski Hajun case, essentially a show of solidarity with Ukraine. The Ministry highlighted Viasna's reports of renewed repression by the Lukashenka regime against the population in the Belaruski Hajun case.

"We are convinced that such arbitrary detentions aim to create an 'exchange fund,' through which Aliaksandr Lukashenka expects to buy indulgences for himself in exchange for innocent people he throws in prison. The repressions of the Belarusian regime are systematic and gross violations of human rights and fundamental international legal documents, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Helsinki Final Act. The mass arrests and detentions of Belarusians in the Belaruski Hajun case directly confirm this."

Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs urged the international community to intensify pressure on Lukashenka and his associates.

How do human rights defenders assess the current situation regarding persecution in the Belaruski Hajun case?

Viasna lawyer Viktoryia Rudziankova states that anti-extremist legislation in Belarus serves solely as a tool for the Lukashenka regime:

"Persecution in the Belaruski Hajun case is a continuation of systematic persecution under the guise of combating extremism, which clearly demonstrates how elastic and exclusively instrumental anti-extremist legislation in Belarus is. We observe how it can be used for any ideological need. So-called 'aiding extremist activity' in this case is aiding the dissemination of information, and in this case, not even value judgments, but simply facts: photographs of military equipment on Belarusian territory. People simply shared what they saw with their own eyes. And for this, the regime deprives them of freedom, tortures them, and robs them.

In the Belaruski Hajun case, the right to receive and share information is central to the repression, undermining a fundamental principle of a democratic society. The regime punishes individuals for seeking to report the truth and document events.

This large-scale campaign undermines public oversight and safety, creating an atmosphere of fear. In international human rights law, this is known as the chilling effect.

The Belaruski Hajun case is not only another wave of repression but also a symbol of Belarusian civil resistance to Russia's war against Ukraine and Belarus's involvement."

Who has been convicted in this case?

Neurologist Ruslan Badamshyn

In January 2026, a well-known neurologist was tried in Minsk. The Lab Coats initiative reports he was sentenced to two and a half years in prison. Viasna knows that he was detained in June 2025 under Article 361-4 (aiding extremist activity) and is believed to have been convicted in the Belaruski Hajun case.

Mazyr resident Anastasiya Hrytskevich

Anastasiya, 32, was sentenced to three years in prison for messages sent to the Belaruski Hajun bot. She is from Mazyr, graduated in Tourism and Hospitality from Belarusian State University of Physical Culture, and worked at Minsk-Arena. She is currently serving her sentence in Correctional Facility No. 4.

Ukrainian Anastasiya Kashchyna

Anastasiya Kashchyna, 34, from Mazyr, was charged under Article 361-4, Parts 1 and 2 (aiding extremist activity). Anastasiya and her husband lived in Lysychansk, Luhansk region, Ukraine, until 2014. When the city became a combat zone, they moved to Mazyr. She is known for making decorative handmade soap. Anastasiya was among 31 Ukrainian citizens released from Belarusian correctional facilities on November 22 and returned home.

Young deputy morale officer at the Chojniki border outpost

The Homieĺ Regional Court sentenced 31-year-old Chojniki resident Artur Syrakvasha to imprisonment for aiding extremist activity.

Artur Syrakvasha worked as a deputy morale officer at the Chojniki border post, established in 2020, through which Russian equipment was sent to Ukraine.

Photographer Darya Puchyla

Darya graduated from the law faculty of Minsk Innovation University in 2019. She works as a photographer, both for personal development and professionally. Her last Instagram post was in December 2024, and she was last active on VKontakte on February 7, 2025, the day detentions in the Belaruski Hajun case began.

She was convicted in 2025 of "aiding extremist activity" and sentenced to three years in prison. She is currently serving her term in Homieĺ Women's Correctional Facility No. 4.

Former Military Academy instructor Fiodar Kandziranda

iodar studied at the Military Academy and graduated in 1999. He has a wife and a 17-year-old daughter.

From August 2008 to October 2020, Kandziranda worked as a senior instructor at the Military Academy, training military specialists in the tactics department.

In August 2020, Kandziranda condemned the violence in Belarus and attempted to resign, but his request was denied. He eventually resigned on October 29 with a negative record and later entered the IT industry. Fiodar was stripped of his reserve lieutenant colonel rank by a personal decree from Aliaksandr Lukashenka, along with 80 other security officers.

In September 2025, he was convicted under Article 361-4 and sentenced to 2.5 years in a correctional facility.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

On February 3, a meeting took place in Kyiv between representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus and the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. From the Belarusian side, the meeting was attended by:

• Leanid Marozau, Advisor on Legal Affairs to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya; 

• Volha Zazulinskaya, Representative for Social Policy of the United Transitional Cabinet; 

• Sviatlana Shatsilina, Head of the Democratic Belarus Mission in Ukraine.

The parties discussed:

• The human rights situation in Belarus, with a particular focus on the situation of political prisoners in Belarus, including Ukrainian citizens.

• The situation of Belarusians persecuted for opposing the Lukashenka and Putin regimes following the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, as well as humanitarian and human rights–based approaches to such cases.

• The regime’s practice of forcibly expelling political prisoners outside Belarus in 2025, including through the territory of Ukraine, and possible coordination of actions should such practices continue.

Leanid Marozau: “It is fundamentally important for us to establish direct and systematic cooperation with Ukrainian human rights institutions. We are speaking not only about solidarity, but also about concrete response mechanisms regarding political prisoners, transnational repression, and forced transfers. In these matters, coordination with the Office of the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner is of key importance.

We are grateful to the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights for the constructive meeting and their readiness to continue cooperation”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

On February 2, an exhibition titled “30 Years of Dictatorship. 30 Posters with Outcomes” by Arthur Vakarov opened in the building of the Czech Parliament. The exhibition is dedicated to the human rights situation in Belarus and is being presented in the Czech Republic for the first time.

Each of the 30 posters represents a separate story – a distinct consequence of dictatorship: enforced disappearances, political prisoners, the destruction of independent media, pressure on culture, language, and civil society, and the forced emigration of thousands of Belarusians.

The exhibition was organized by the Office of Belarus Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic with the support of Hayato Okamura, a member of the “For a Democratic Belarus” Group in the Czech Parliament.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “According to UN estimates for 2024, almost 800,000 Belarusians live outside the country – that is 8.7% of the population. Just imagine: every eleventh Belarusian now lives away from home.

Such a staggering number is the result of the Lukashenka regime’s policies. Families torn apart, children growing up without their friends from the courtyard, grandparents who see their grandchildren only through video calls. These are people who left because they had no other safe choice.

Returning home is impossible without an end to repression and the release of political prisoners, without a genuine national dialogue that leads to change. But everyone who is not at home today remains part of Belarus.

At times it may seem that our country is no longer what it once was, but it is precisely the Belarusian people who make our country strong, resilient, and dignified. And I am certain that our Homeland is waiting for us. And it will see us return”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

The Sustrecha Belarusian–Ukrainian Volunteer Center, in partnership with other volunteers, has opened a Belarusian Point of Invincibility in Kyiv.

As a result of massive Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, a significant part of the energy system has been damaged or destroyed. In Kyiv and other cities, power outages can last more than 20 hours. In homes without electricity, there is no heating, communication, or hot water, and temperatures can drop to 5°C and below.

At the Point of Invincibility, people can warm up, charge their phones, have a cup of hot tea, and simply spend time in a safe, warm space.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “A Point of Invincibility has been operating in Kyiv for several days. Right now, places like this are becoming vital. I informed Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andrii Sybiha, about this initiative.

The Point of Invincibility is an example of how Belarusians come together to help Ukrainians who are standing strong and fighting not only for Ukraine’s freedom but for ours as well. Many thanks to all the volunteers and everyone who supported this initiative”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

On the evening of January 25 in Vilnius, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, held a bilateral meeting with the Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya, on behalf of Belarusians, expressed full support for the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom, highlighted President Zelenskyy’s exceptional personal leadership, and thanked him for his powerful speech at the ceremony commemorating the 1863 January Uprising. She also expressed gratitude to President Zelenskyy for his support for a democratic Belarus and for the fact that Ukraine’s leadership clearly distinguishes between the Belarusian people and the regime.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya paid special tribute to Belarusian volunteer fighters, humanitarian workers, and partisans who have been persecuted in Belarus for their solidarity with and support for Ukraine, as well as to Belarusians living in Ukraine. She also emphasized the situation of captured Belarusian volunteer fighters. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya thanked President Zelenskyy and his team (in particular, the Head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov) for accepting the most recent group of released political prisoners. The sides discussed the releases, next steps, and Ukraine’s readiness to continue providing this type of support.

Mr. Zelenskyy and Ms. Tsikhanouskaya also discussed sanctions policy, a joint strategy with European and American partners, and efforts to hold Aliaksandr Lukashenka and his accomplices accountable, including for the forced displacement of Ukrainian children. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya proposed appointing a Special Envoy for Belarus, as many other democratic countries have done, as well as closer cooperation with the Mission of Democratic Belarus in Kyiv. The parties also discussed Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s visit to Ukraine: President Zelenskyy invited her to visit Kyiv.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya emphasized that the fates of a free Belarus and Ukraine are closely intertwined, and that she, her team, and the United Transitional Cabinet would welcome even closer cooperation with Ukraine.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

This was reported by a representative of the future People's Consulate of Belarus in Nice (the opening of which we will announce in the near future):

"This is the first instance known to us where an applicant filed for citizenship with an already expired passport and successfully obtained French citizenship.

A Belarusian who has been residing in France for a long time finally received a positive decision following his third citizenship application. While his first two attempts were made with a valid passport, the third dossier was submitted in hard copy after the Prefecture lost his previous digital filings.

During the citizenship interview at the Prefecture, the official asked detailed questions regarding the circumstances that made renewing the expired Belarusian passport impossible. The applicant provided well-founded explanations and the relevant supporting documents.

The case was processed in less than a year, and in January, he became a French citizen."

Source: People's Embassies of Belarus

According to the human rights center Viasna, since 2020, at least 100 foreign citizens have been subjected to political criminal prosecution in Belarus, 27 of them women. It is known that at least 75 of them were sent to penal colonies. As a result of the pardons, at least 29 foreigners were released with the assistance of the United States and the Ukrainian exchange. At the same time, 22 citizens of other countries remain imprisoned in Belarus. These are political prisoners with citizenship of Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, France, Latvia, and Poland. Viasna reports the current situation of political persecution of foreigners in Belarus and recalls the stories of some of them.

How many foreigners are behind bars?

Since 2020, at least 100 foreign citizens have been subjected to political criminal prosecution in Belarus. As of January 20, 2026, at least 22 foreign citizens detained for political reasons are being held behind bars. One of them is a woman, a citizen of the Russian Federation.

The foreign citizens are being held behind bars for "espionage," "assistance to extremist activities," "calls for sanctions," "participation in actions grossly violating public order," "discrediting Belarus," "an act of terrorism," and even "international terrorism." Currently, six foreigners are being held behind bars in Belarus in connection with the war in Ukraine. Five citizens of other countries are included in the so-called "terrorist list".

61 foreigners have the status of a "former political prisoner" in Belarus. At least 29 foreigners were pardoned and deported from Belarus.

Businessman with Lithuanian and French citizenship

Siarhei Botvich is a native of Belarus, but holds citizenship of Lithuania and France. The 61-year-old businessman was charged in 2022 under two articles: "espionage" (Article 358 of the Criminal Code) and "agent activity" (Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code). He was sentenced to 13 years of imprisonment.

In December 2025, one of the released prisoners told Zerkalo that political prisoner Siarhei Botvich had gone on a hunger strike. The political prisoner has serious health conditions.

"A hunger strike is a deadly risk for him," the source said, stressing the fact that Botvich's decision to go on a hunger strike indicates that he has no other options left.

A Latvian citizen undergoing compulsory medical treatment

In 2022, Dzmitry Siuko, a 45-year-old Latvian citizen, was convicted in the Court of the Čyhunačny District of Homieĺ under Article 369 of the Criminal Code (insulting a representative of the government). The man was prescribed compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital with enhanced supervision. His further fate and exact location are unknown to human rights defenders.

Six Ukrainian citizens are held in penal colonies 

According to Viasna, at least six Ukrainian citizens are serving time under political articles. With the outbreak of the full-scale war in Ukraine, pressure on Ukrainians in Belarus has increased. Citizens of Ukraine have been detained in Belarus for "espionage," "agent activity," and "attempted sabotage." They are suspected of collaborating with the Ukrainian special services. Recently, Viasna human rights activists published a terrible story of a family from Ukraine who were held behind bars in unbearable conditions without charge.

Pro-government sources call Siarhei and Pavel Kabarchuk, a father and a son, "saboteurs of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU)". In February 2024, a "counter-terrorist operation" state was declared in the Lieĺčycy district. Later, the KGB reported the detention of "terrorists" allegedly sent by the SBU to carry out terrorist attacks in Belarus and the Russian Federation. In October 2024, the Homieĺ Regional Court sentenced the father and son to 20 years of imprisonment and a fine of 28 thousand rubles (almost 8,300 euros). They were found guilty under Part 3 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code (act of terrorism), Part 4 of Article 295 of the Criminal Code (illegal actions related to firearms, ammunition, and explosives), Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code (agent activity), Part 3 of Article 333-1 of the Criminal Code (illegal movement of toxic substances, firearms, ammunition, explosives across the border).

Ukrainian huntsman Viachaslau Barodziy was detained on September 1, 2023, in the Jeĺsk district of Belarus, which borders the Žytomir region of Ukraine. It is known that Viachaslau was born in the Žytomir region, lived in Mazyr for some time, and then returned to Ukraine and worked as a gamekeeper, raising three children. On December 2, 2024, the Homieĺ Regional Court found Barodzii guilty under articles 295, 333-1, 358-1, 371, and 371-1 of the Criminal Code. Judge Yauhen Sharshniou found him guilty and sentenced him to 10 years of medium security imprisonment. He was also fined 22 thousand roubles (around 6,500 euros).

Ivan Likhalat was detained in September 2023, allegedly for preparing a terrorist attack on the railway in the Talačyn district and "agent activities." On December 18, 2024, Ivan was sentenced to 20 years of medium security imprisonment in a penal colony. At the same time, he will serve the first three years of his sentence in prison. 

Since 2020, about 20 citizens of Ukraine have been released by pardon and exchange.

Two Polish citizens are held behind bars in Belarus for political reasons

On September 4, 2025, state propaganda media reported the detention of a 27-year-old Polish monk in Liepieĺ. Grzegorz Gaweł is from Krakow. He is accused of "espionage" (Article 358 of the Criminal Code), allegedly for receiving the plan of the Belarusian–Russian Zapad 2025 military exercises. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Marcin Bosacki said on a television broadcast on the evening of September 4 that information about the detention of Grzegorz Gaweł by the Belarusian KGB was being checked.

In the summer of 2023, the Brest Regional Court heard the case of Tomash Biaroza, who was accused under Part 1 of Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code (agent activity) and Article 358 (espionage). He was sentenced to 14 years in a penal colony.

Recall that, as a result of a pardon with the assistance of the US State Department, on June 21, 2025, Polish citizen Yezhy Zhyvaleuski, and on December 13, Polish citizen Raman Galuza were released.

There are at least 11 political prisoners with Russian citizenship behind bars

Half of the foreigners held behind bars are Russian citizens — 11 people. Since 2020, only one case of a citizen of the Russian Federation getting pardoned has been known — it was Sofia Sapega, who was detained along with Raman Pratasevich as a result of an emergency landing of a Ryanair plane in Minsk. Two Russian citizens, Dzmitry Shlethauer and Andrei Padniabenny, died behind bars.

Recall that in the Tsikhanouski case, Dmitry Popov, a Russian citizen, was detained on June 4, 2020, and sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony. He was accused of moderating the social media pages of the Country for Life and convicted under four articles of the Criminal Code. In October 2022, it became known that the political prisoner had been transferred to a prison security level.

Yegor Dudnikov has been behind bars since 2021. The man, then 20 years old, was sentenced to 11 years in a penal colony for voicing videos and audio messages on the Telegram channel OGSB. After his detention, he was tortured. In the summer of 2022, he was transferred from the Babrujsk penal colony to the prison security level. 

On April 11, 2024, Russian citizen Aliaksei Kulikou was sentenced to 23 years in a penal colony in connection with the case of preparing sabotage in Hrodna. According to the KGB, Aliaksei photographed objects in Hrodna for the "Ukrainian special services". Kulikou was charged under Part 2 of Article 289 (act of terrorism) and Part 2 of Article 126 (act of international terrorism) of the Criminal Code. Kulikou said his last words in Ukrainian.

In June 2024, an employee of a dental clinic and a Russian citizen, Eduard Kashetsian, was sentenced to six years in a penal colony. He was detained in September 2023 for a chat where he and his friends discussed various events. Eduard was accused of "inciting hostility by a group of persons", "discrediting Belarus", "rehabilitating Nazism committed by a group of persons or with grave consequences", "participating in actions grossly violating public order", and "insulting Lukashenka". The man is serving his sentence in Mahilioŭ penal colony No. 15.

In October 2024, Aleh Sychou, who holds Russian citizenship, was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony in the Mačuliščy case. He is serving his sentence in penal colony No. 22.

In September 2025, a Russian citizen, Yaraslava Khromchankava, was convicted under articles 361-4 (promoting extremist activities) and 369-1 (discrediting Belarus) of the Criminal Code. The Homieĺ Regional Court sentenced her to three years of general security imprisonment in a penal colony. She was probably convicted in the Belarusian Hajun case.

Russian citizens Airat Khalikau, Aliaksandr Smirnou, Aliaksandr Marjasau, Maksim Heliasin, and Pavel Aliakseyeu are also behind bars.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

A newly published directive states that passports of Belarusians residing in Spain will be recognized as valid even after their expiration date, without the need to obtain a cédula de inscripción.

This outcome is the result of agreements reached between Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's Office and the Spanish authorities. On June 20, 2025, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya reached an agreement on this matter with Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares, and the arrangements were finalized in January 2026 with the support of other ministries.

On January 22, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, for an important decision for Belarusians: Spain will recognize expired passports of Belarusian citizens. This will allow people to continue handling administrative and migration issues without additional barriers. This decision addresses the suspension of consular services at Belarusian embassies, which has left many citizens abroad without a way to renew their passports.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “I sincerely thank the authorities of Spain for this decision. And I also thank the Belarusian diaspora in Malaga, Alicante, Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, and the Canary Islands, who consistently helped advance it. This was a huge effort, made possible thanks to many people on both sides. Thank you all. This is a case where long-term work produces a very concrete result for Belarusians”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya took part in the international briefing “Can Russia Sustain a Wartime Economy?”, which focused on the political and security consequences of Russia’s war economy for Europe. The briefing was also attended by the Prime Minister of Moldova, Alexandru Munteanu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania, Oana-Silvia Țoiu, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, David van Weel.

The participants discussed the effectiveness of sanctions, their impact on Russia’s ability to wage war, and the decisions facing European leaders. 

In response to a question about the partial easing of US sanctions, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya noted that these sanctions are aimed at securing the release of people and may be eased if repression stops, while European Union sanctions have a much stronger impact and must remain in place until long-term changes are achieved, including an end to the regime’s involvement in the war, the restoration of Belarus’ sovereignty, and its transformation into a democratic country.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “Without sanctions and international isolation, the Lukashenka regime would not have begun releasing political prisoners. It is not acting out of humanity – sanctions hurt, isolation hurts, and he understands that he has reached a dead end. That is why he is willing to hand over even his most dangerous opponents in exchange for relief. But lifting or substantially easing sanctions against the regime is dangerous, as it directly strengthens Russia: Belarus’ economy works for Russia’s war machine, Belarus is used as a route to circumvent sanctions, and its enterprises are involved in weapons production”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Since 2020, more than 3,000 political prisoners have been released from imprisonment. But for many of them, freedom becomes a new challenge, with the consequences of incarceration, which often require long-term rehabilitation and re-socialization. Detention in a cold isolation cell, psychological pressure and physical violence, unbearable conditions of detention, and lack of vitamins and high-quality nutrition affect both the human psyche and health. Some political prisoners face various kinds of illnesses while imprisoned, and some have health problems after their release. Another factor exacerbating the already catastrophic situation is the lack of high-quality and timely medical care within the penitentiary system. The consequences of such conditions have already had a fatal result: nine political prisoners have died due to health problems and conditions of imprisonment.

Four former political prisoners, who are currently recovering from long-term imprisonment, spoke about the conditions of detention that affected their psychological and physical state, the illnesses that developed or intensified in correctional institutions, as well as the challenges they faced when they were already free. Human rights defender Katsiaryna (name changed for security reasons), who works with former political prisoners after their release, also spoke about the general situation with medical care behind bars and how conditions of detention can affect health. Based on the collected evidence and the comments of a human rights defender, Viasna has prepared a review of the health consequences of the imprisonment of former political prisoners.

"Most health complaints are ignored, and people receive almost no diagnosis or treatment"

Criminal sentences in Belarus have been passed regularly since 2020. The courts put people behind bars without taking into account their state of health and the severity of the disease. As of January 15, 2026, human rights activists are aware of at least 163 political prisoners who are at particular risk behind bars, including people with serious health conditions.

In total, nine political prisoners have already died behind bars since 2021.

Katsiaryna, a human rights activist, works with former political prisoners who undergo examinations and treatment after their release. She described the overall situation with medical care in places of detention: 

"Medical care in pre-trial detention is very poor. Most health complaints are ignored, and people receive almost no diagnosis and treatment. In extreme situations, medical workers can measure blood pressure and temperature. Patient are given only paracetamol, but it is not easy to obtain it for them either.

The situation in the penal colonies is a little better and already depends more on the doctors. Some are doing their job honestly, helping as much as they can, but there are also many whose work does not comply with the norms of ethics and deontology."

Viasna spoke with former political prisoners who are currently undergoing rehabilitation after their imprisonment and are recovering their physical and mental health.

No access to quality medical care

Former political prisoner Maryia (name changed for security reasons), who has been behind bars for more than two years, notes that it is very difficult to get an appointment with a doctor in Homieĺ women's penal colony No. 4:

"It is generally very difficult to take care of your health when you're imprisoned. On certain days, special papers are placed on a table in the detachments for making an appointment with a doctor. Let's say you need to see a therapist and a gynecologist. Only two or three people can make an appointment with a particular doctor. Therefore, not everyone makes one. For example, there was a period when there were a lot of inflammations throughout the penal colony. Literally all squads were sick. And imagine, only two or three people can get to the doctor. It's not normal. Ill people were forced to go to the factory, clean snow, be on duty, and wash toilets."

Urological and gynecological problems

Ukrainian Liudmila Hancharenka is one of the political prisoners who were exchanged as prisoners of war in June 2024. A year after her release, the former political prisoner was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. She is currently undergoing treatment. Liudmila says that due to poor, unsanitary conditions in the pre-trial detention centre, she developed vaginal candidiasis and cystitis: 

"After I was released, I was diagnosed with chronic cystitis. I've never had one before. In prison, I had candidiasis (yeast infection). I had never had one before I was incarcerated. No one prescribed me treatment there. I bought baking soda at the store and washed myself with it. No one gave me pills. In the pre-trial detention center, I asked several times to be taken to a gynecologist, but, of course, they did not.

It's all because of the terrible unsanitary conditions. No matter how much you clean the toilet bowl, if there are 12 people in the cell, you know what happens."

Activist and former political prisoner Pavel Vinahradau, who was released and forcibly deported from the country after almost four years of imprisonment, says that kidney problems after a cold punitive isolation cell (SHIZO) are common among prisoners.

"This problem has not affected me. But because of sitting on cold tiles, I had prostatitis. I had a bad two weeks after that. But it just sort of disappeared in my case."

Tuberculosis incidence behind bars

In 2022, Pavel was diagnosed with tuberculosis in penal colony No. 11 in Vaŭkavysk. For treatment, he was transferred to a specially designed penal colony No. 12 in Orša.

Additional examinations were conducted there, which confirmed the diagnosis. After that, Pavel was given a document to sign stating that he agreed to special accelerated treatment. If treatment usually takes 18 months, Pavel was offered to complete it in six months. Pavel agreed. About a week after signing this document, the political prisoner was sent to SHIZO. 

"When you're not in SHIZO and you're diagnosed with tuberculosis, then you have an hour for sleeping or resting during the day, but you don't have one in SHIZO. As if when you're in SHIZO it's easier to have your diagnosis. I believe that a rest hour is necessary, perhaps because of the side effects of medications. I have not felt tuberculosis as such. But I felt sick for one and a half to two hours a day from taking medication. Because you really have to eat a handful at once. 

And so there was no rest hour in SHIZO, but I felt bad because of the pills. I lay down on the floor, for which new violation reports were drawn up against me and my term in SHIZO was prolonged.

That's how they cured me from tuberculosis."

Health consequences after SHIZO

The placement of prisoners in SHIZO is a common practice, used by the administration of the institution in response to the violations of internal regulations by a prisoner. But in practice, this is one of the popular methods of putting pressure on both political and ordinary prisoners. According to former political prisoners, conditions in SHIZO are especially harsh between seasons, when there is no heating and, consequently, people are tortured with cold, since they are not allowed to have warm clothes or blankets. In addition, due to the constant cold, people cannot sleep — this is what former political prisoners call "cold torture."

According to Maryia, it was about 16 °C in SHIZO of Homieĺ women's penal colony No. 4. Due to the extreme cold, the woman had to constantly sit near the radiator. After a while, water blisters formed on her buttocks from constant friction.

The woman was placed in SHIZO while she had a severe cough and fever: 

"In SHIZO, if you have two pairs of socks, thin and thick ones, then the latter pair will be taken away. In winter, they left us leggings, and in summer everyone had bare legs. I was put there when I was ill. I had a fever and an awful cough. People slept there on bare boards. And so I coughed so hard all night that in the morning my cough just disappeared. I was so scared that I was just going to die.

You don't sleep there all night. You fall asleep and wake up from the cold. It's unbearable. This is the torture with sleep deprivation and cold, which, of course, affected my health. After SHIZO, I couldn't stand on my left heel for six months. Maybe I had a sciatic nerve inflammation. I don't know. No one has done any examinations for me. I had a sharp pain in my heel."

Dental problems

Former political prisoners often note the lack of dental treatment in places of detention — teeth are simply removed. Human rights activist Katsiaryna notes that dental problems among prisoners are perhaps the most common phenomenon:

"There is a terrible problem with dental care. Teeth are the first thing that deteriorates in prison, and almost every prisoner has been to a dentist at least once. Dentists rarely work, there is a long waiting list, and most often they do not even do fillings, but simply remove the tooth. The filling that is done is of very poorly quality. Periodontal disease is absolutely not treated in any way, which eventually leads to teeth falling out. Treatment without anesthesia is also very common. There are cases where a person could, for a week, have acute gumboil — hellish pain, fever, swollen face — and not only could he not receive dental treatment and antibiotics, but he was also forced to work in the industrial area."

Inhumane conditions of detention

According to human rights activist Katsiaryna, lifestyle is one of the main factors affecting human health. But in the terrible conditions of detention, prisoners cannot lead a proper lifestyle.

"In prison, almost everything related to lifestyle is unhealthy. There is a lack of proper nutrition, normal lighting, normal microclimate, and normal physical activity, which is insufficient in pre-trial detention centers, and in penal colonies, it is often excessive and unbalanced. Overcrowding and poor sanitary conditions exacerbate the spread of infectious diseases."

After recovering from COVID, Kiryl (name changed for security reasons) developed thrombosis (a dangerous malfunction of the circulatory system with blood clots forming in the vessels. They interfere with the free movement of blood and can cause serious health consequences. — editor's note). With regular medical examinations, prescribed medications, and the use of compression underwear, the effects could be minimized. But in the penal colony, due to the need to adhere to the rules of internal order, it is impossible to apply those measures.

"As doctors used to tell me, the consequences cannot be cured, but they can be compensated. But I couldn't wear these compression underwear in the penal colony. There is a strict schedule: wake up at 6 am, then 15 minutes to use the toilet, brush your teeth, and you have to shave, and at 6:15 it's already exercises. And you need to put on this underwear before you get out of bed. And you can't do it all in 15 minutes. And the procedure itself is quite complicated and requires physical exertion. It was impossible in those conditions."

Kiryl notes that if you are late, you can get a penalty and be put in SHIZO, where it is also impossible to use special underwear.

The impact of stress on health

Stress accompanies a person throughout the entire term of imprisonment. Not only does it make daily life difficult, but after release, it can lead to long-term psychological and physical problems requiring long-term rehabilitation.

According to Maryia, she often had boils (acute purulent-necrotic inflammation) because of stress. 

"This abscess grows bigger, then the core starts to come out, but you can't have the wound dressed. I remember when I went to the doctor, I just cried. Because the wound was open, my hands were dirty all the time, and I wiped the pus with toilet paper. I still remember that stress." 

Now the woman is working with a psychotherapist. Maryia was diagnosed with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and depression.

The woman was released a year ago, but still has to undergo treatment, examinations, and work with a psychotherapist. She recently underwent surgery to remove a hernia that had increased due to her hard work in the penal colony.

"In no case should we forget about the terrible consequences of the penal colony for political prisoners. I have dreams about it. You're in front of everyone 24/7, and you can't even cry. It's terribly difficult for the psychological state."

Oncological diseases

In Belarus, people with diagnosed cancer are often detained and imprisoned. For example, in the fall of 2024, Ukrainian Nadzeya Nikalayuk was detained almost immediately after a surgery to remove lymphoma from her armpit. She underwent her first course of chemotherapy and was captured right in the clinic where she went to see her doctor. According to the testimony of her cellmate, the woman's stitches broke open at Akrescina. For more than a year, Nadzeya was heldin a pre-trial detention centre on the charge of "agent activity." On November 22, 2025, the woman was pardoned and taken to Ukraine. It is known that medical care was provided to the woman in the pre-trial detention centre.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

During the World Economic Forum in Davos, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with the CEO of PKO Bank Polski, Szymon Midera. PKO is the largest state-owned bank in Poland, ranking first in the country by the number of individual and corporate Belarusian clients.

Mr. Midera assured Ms. Tsikhanouskaya that the bank has always sought and will continue to support Belarusians. The existing restrictions are not related to politics or decisions made by the bank itself; rather, the bank operates under new European Union regulations adopted in response to the war and aimed primarily at closing loopholes used by the regimes in Belarus and Russia to circumvent sanctions.

The parties discussed the most acute problems related to Belarusians opening bank accounts, particularly for those who do not yet have residence permits or work permits in Poland, or whose passports have expired, and how these issues could be resolved, including at the European level. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed possible solutions, including the introduction of exemptions for Belarusians, which would require additional consultations with European regulators. They also discussed opportunities to support small Belarusian businesses and to hold joint events.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “We discussed the urgent problems faced by thousands of Belarusians in Poland. Mr. Midera understands very well that we are talking about people who live legally in Poland, pay taxes, build businesses, and contribute to the economy. Their lives require clear, transparent, and secure rules. It is precisely such solutions that protect both banks and people and strengthen European solidarity at a time when Belarus is fighting for freedom and independence”.

Recently, the Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management, Pavel Latushka, sent official appeals to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority and PKO Bank Polski to put an end to excessive account blockings and to reaffirm the right of Belarusians legally residing in Poland to use bank accounts on the basis of temporary documents.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

During a visit to Madrid, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Diplomatic Advisor, Dzianis Kuchynski, held a meeting with the State Secretary for Foreign and Global Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío.

The parties identified key areas of cooperation with the democratic forces of Belarus and discussed pressing international and humanitarian issues, the situation of political prisoners, as well as the sanctions of the European Union and Spain against the Lukashenka regime.

A separate topic of the meeting was the opening of a Mission of Democratic Belarus in Madrid, which could become an important coordination hub for the activities of the democratic forces and for supporting Belarusians in Spain.

Mr. Kuchynski handed over to Mr. Martínez Belío a document outlining existing problems and possible ways to address them. The document was prepared based on proposals from Belarusians living in Spain. Particular attention was paid to the recognition of expired Belarusian passports for those who cannot return to Belarus to renew them, as well as to the development of national guidelines for Spanish authorities when considering residency procedures.

State Secretary Martínez Belío confirmed that he understands the complexity of the issues raised and is giving them personal attention. He expressed readiness to support efforts to resolve them and to submit the necessary appeals aimed at supporting Belarusians in Spain.

Dzianis Kuchynski: “I specifically flew to Madrid to hold a high-level meeting with the State Secretary, who is the second-in-command to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain. Our conversation lasted almost three hours – this shows how seriously the Spanish side views cooperation with the democratic forces of Belarus, as well as the problems faced by Belarusians. We agreed on practical next steps regarding possible support for Belarusians living in Spain. Diego Martínez Belío assured us that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to assist in advancing and resolving these issues together with other state bodies”.

At the Spanish Parliament, Dzianis Kuchynski and the future Head of the Mission of the Democratic Belarus in Madrid,Tatsiana Marinich, met with members of Congress to discuss possible avenues for further cooperation and support for the Belarusian community. In addition to supporting the Belarusian diaspora in Spain, one of the future Mission’s focus areas will be humanitarian assistance for the rehabilitation of former Belarusian political prisoners near Alicante, jointly with Imaguru, A Country to Live In Foundation, the International Humanitarian Fund, and other organizations. Spain has already allocated €50,000 to the International Humanitarian Fund. During the meeting with State Secretary Diego Martínez Belío, Dzianis Kuchynski also discussed the continuation of this support.

A special note of thanks is extended to all organizations and individuals for their help in collecting and sharing important information.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

It is unacceptable for the future of the Belarusian people to be decided without their participation — "nothing about us without us".

The narrative that Europe needs to talk to Lukashenko is ambiguous. It is noteworthy that democratic forces are excluded from this process. It is as if they do not exist. This means the idea is for the EU to negotiate with Lukashenko over the heads of democratic forces and the democratically minded part of Belarusians.

We do not share this approach, which is why our proposal is a Round Table and National Dialogue, where democratic forces and Belarusian society are direct actors, not passive observers. The Belarusian crisis must be resolved primarily by Belarusians and Belarusian politicians representing them — in a sovereign dialogue. Otherwise, we simply hand over Belarusian politics into someone else’s hands.

Lukashenko has always unilaterally broken agreements with the EU. The time has long come to negotiate with Belarusian society. Belarusians have proven their agency, enduring the most massive repression Europe has seen in decades.

Therefore, Lukashenko must take substantial steps to change internal repressive and external aggressive policies.

If Lukashenko and his elites are not ready to start a dialogue, they should continue to live under sanctions and pressure.

The role of European allies is undoubtedly important, but we cannot simply delegate the fate of our country to someone else or outsource the resolution of the Belarusian crisis. We are actors, not objects. This is the essence of being what is called Belarusian democratic forces and Belarusian politicians.

When evaluating the role and approaches of European partners toward Belarus and Lukashenko, it is important not to forget that Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine continues, and European countries stand fundamentally on Ukraine’s side and clearly assess Lukashenko’s role in the aggression against Ukraine.

We count on European partners to give a very clear response to Lukashenko regarding his intentions to repeat, once again, the story of dialogue with Europe. First, he must negotiate with society. Negotiating with society means implementing systemic, not cosmetic, changes to internal repressive and external aggressive policies.

Source: NAM

On January 14, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya met with the President of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. This was the first bilateral meeting in Warsaw since Mr. Nawrocki was elected; previously, the leaders had met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked President Nawrocki and Poland for their support for Belarus and the Belarusian people, for their consistent and principled position, for providing aid to released political prisoners and those subjected to repression, as well as for backing the democratic movement. She noted that the Belarusian issue in Poland unites both the government and the opposition, as well as all political parties. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya outlined the priorities of the democratic forces, both abroad and inside the country.

Karol Nawrocki and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya discussed the releases of political prisoners, the situation of Andrzej Poczobut, relations with the US administration, and regional security. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya expressed hope that the releases would continue and that Poland would continue to provide the necessary support to those released, as it has done throughout the year, including with legal documents and assistance with residency issues. She thanked Poland for continuing to receive Belarusians facing persecution at home.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya proposed several joint initiatives to President Nawrocki in support of the Belarusian community in Poland, in the areas of historical heritage, culture, and literature. She invited him to take part in Belarusian festivals and amateur sports competitions organized by Belarusians, and suggested involving Belarus in regional-format initiatives such as the Lublin Triangle.

She presented the President with the draft Concept for the Establishment of the Institute of National Remembrance of Belarus, developed by the democratic forces. The Institute would help people learn the truth about repression during the Soviet period and in recent years through access to archives and testimonies, and would also help the state cleanse its bureaucratic system of flawed practices inherited from the past. Ms. Tsikhanouskaya noted that the democratic forces are working on the New Belarus Vision, developing reform packages, and drawing, among other things, on the experience of Poland’s transformation.

In conclusion, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya presented President Nawrocki with a set of books by Sergiusz Piasecki translated into Belarusian. Piasecki, one of Nawrocki’s favorite writers, was born in the territory of present-day Belarus, was a dissident, and wrote about the lives of Belarusians and Poles in the interwar period, as well as about Belarusian and Polish resistance to Soviet occupation.

Also on January 14, a meeting with the Belarusian democratic community took place at the Belvedere Palace. More than 150 people attended, including journalists, bloggers, cultural figures, human rights defenders, politicians, actors and musicians, and athletes.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

Summary: 

• The human rights situation in Belarus remains grave. Repression against dissidents, protest participants, journalists, and human rights defenders continues.

• Authoritative international organizations have established gross violations of human rights and crimes against humanity committed by the Belarusian authorities.

• Despite the Belarusian authorities’ efforts to conceal the extent of criminal and administrative repression, Viasna continues to receive information about detentions and prosecutions on political grounds. Since 2020, the Viasna Human Rights Center has documented more than 8,000 convictions in politically motivated criminal cases, including 39 individuals sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment; at least 1,963 of the convicts are women.

• At least 1,254 people were convicted in the past year, 355 of whom were women.

• The number of political prisoners remains critically high. As of December 31, 2025, there were 1,131 political prisoners in Belarus, 167 of whom were women. Since May 2020, the total number of individuals recognized as political prisoners has exceeded 4,339. As of this time, 3,208 individuals have been released from custody for various reasons, including the completion of sentences, release from punishment, or a change in restriction level. Among these individuals, 659 are female.

• According to data available to Viasna, in 2025, at least 2,384 individuals experienced various forms of repression related to criminal or administrative prosecution during the previous year, including arrests, interrogations, and searches. Women made up almost 30% of the repressed. It is important to note that this number should not be compared with data from previous years. The conditions for collecting data on repression have changed dramatically since the beginning of 2025. Authorities now withhold data on politically motivated persecution and discourage activities aimed at collecting such data.

• Political prisoners are subjected to particularly harsh conditions, stringent oversight, and restrictions that are not provided for by law. Consequently, many political prisoners are subjected to disciplinary deprivation of privileges, including care packages containing medicines, visits from family members, spouses, and legal counsel. Furthermore, correspondence by political prisoners is subject to arbitrary restrictions. No fewer than three political prisoners are being held incommunicado. Two political prisoners, Valiantsin Shtermer and Andrei Podnebenny, died in correctional facilities in 2025. A total of nine political prisoners died in correctional facilities and remand centers since 2020.

• Political prisoners are subjected to forced labor at low wages; upon their release after serving their sentences, political prisoners are subjected to strict control beyond the regular supervision of released convicts; the rights of convicts are further restricted by the consequences of being included in the List of Persons Involved in Extremist and Terrorist Activities.

• In politically motivated administrative, criminal, and civil cases, the courts continue to function as an instrument of repression against the accused. The independence of the courts has been eroded.

• Activities of NGOs and civil initiatives are regularly subject to arbitrary criminalization.

• The persecution of peaceful expression continues under the guise of fighting terrorism and extremism.

• Journalists, media employees, and bloggers continued to face repression.

• Torture and other prohibited treatments on political grounds continue to be practiced in Belarus. There have been no investigations or prosecutions at the national level of those responsible for widespread torture and other gross human rights violations in August 2020 and beyond.

• Discrimination across various spheres persists because the state fails to take steps to prevent it. The authorities demonize LGBTQ+ individuals and establish legal grounds for persecuting them based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, and reproductive choices.

• In February 2025, through a fraudulent election, the authorities renewed Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s mandate as President of the Republic of Belarus for another five years.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna" 

On December 12, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya held a meeting with the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Pina Picierno, at the Office in Vilnius. The parties discussed the current situation of political prisoners in Belarus, regional security, and the role of the European Union in countering authoritarianism.

They also discussed the Third Cross-Party Forum “8+100”, scheduled to take place on March 3–4 at the European Parliament, where representatives of 8 Belarusian and 100 European political parties are expected to participate. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya invited Pina Picierno to join the forum and support the engagement of a larger number of MEPs.

Ms. Tsikhanouskaya proposed continuing the practice of symbolic godparenthood for political prisoners and organizing a Congress of Political Prisoners’ Godparents in Berlin to make this mechanism more effective.

In addition, the meeting covered support for Belarus’ European perspective and the preparation of a roadmap for closer cooperation with the EU and the Council of Europe.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya thanked Pina Picierno for her consistent support for Belarus, including her participation in the opening of the Belarusian Democratic Community Center and shelter in Florence, as well as for her personal solidarity with political prisoners.

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya: “The support of partners like Pina Picierno helps keep Belarus in the focus of European politics and serves as a reminder that without a free Belarus, there can be no secure Europe”.

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya

In the spring of 2025, Ukrainian citizens Volha and Mikalai (names changed for the safety of their child in the Russian-occupied territory of Ukraine) came to Belarus from a European country where they had lived since 2023. The city where they lived in Ukraine is now occupied by Russia. They planned to move to a village in Belarus, find a simple job, and be able to meet their son, who lives in the Russian-occupied territory and can only travel with a Russian passport. But Volha and Mikalai were detained shortly after they moved. They were accused of espionage, terrorism, and other serious political crimes. For six months, they were kept in inhumane conditions without care packages, a change of clothes, and hygiene products. Mikalai was tortured by suffocation, forced to plead guilty, beaten, bullied, and blackmailed with sexual violence against his wife to such a state that he stopped talking and developed psychological problems. After experiencing torture and psychological pressure in Belarus, the man stutters heavily and has difficulty speaking. The couple is currently undergoing rehabilitation with the help of Ukrainian specialists. Viasna spoke with Volha and Mikalai about what they had to endure behind bars in Belarus before they were transferred to Ukraine.

"A masked officer put a gun to the back of her head"

Mikalai and Viasna arrived in Belarus in the spring of 2025. They got a job and registered with the migration service. In June, Volha recalls, her husband received a call from the migration service and was asked to come and sign some documents. 

"When we went there, I had a bad feeling about it. I told my wife: we're about to be arrested. And she said: 'Who needs you?' At that moment, the special forces officers rushed out with weapons. She was placed facing the wall. One masked officer put a gun to the back of her head, while the other pointed a weapon at her back in the direction of her heart. I saw it from below. They threw me on the ground and twisted my head so that I could watch it all. They twisted my arms in my shoulders. When they handcuffed me, I was loudly asked to say my last name and citizenship," Mikalai recalls.

"They hit me in the stomach and on the head without explaining anything"

After the detention, Volha was placed in one room, and Miakalai in another. The man talks in detail about what happened behind the wall that separated him from his wife:

"They brought me to the basement, put me on my knees, foot over foot, hands behind my back in handcuffs, and told me to stand on the concrete floor like that. I stood there for maybe two hours. Two masked officers were walking around. When I tried to change my position somehow, I got hit either in the stomach or on the head. After a hard blow to the head, I fell. They tried to put me back, but I couldn't stand on my knees. Then they brought an iron chair and put me on it. My feet were tied to the chair with zip ties, and my hands were still handcuffed. I sat there for another six hours.

I asked them to loosen the handcuffs, but they laughed. And then it turned out that the handcuff on my right hand was tightened so much that it broke. They didn't know how to take them off, and they said: 'We're going to saw off your hands now.' At that time, they were beating me in the stomach and on the head without explaining anything. Two hours later, a masked officer came and said, 'We all know you're a spy. We saw what's in your phone.' He also said that my wife allegedly told them everything. He promised to let her go if I testified that I was a spy."

So Mikalai was interrogated and beaten until late in the evening, after which he was taken to a polygraph examination. This interrogation, according to the man's estimates, lasted about four hours.

"Every day they took me down to the basement and tortured me"

The next day, the interrogations and pressure on Volha and Mikalai continued. When the working day at the police station began, the man was taken back to the basement.

"I was taken to a small cell without a window and a washbasin. There was just a hole for a toilet and a bed fastened to the wall. I was there until the middle of June. Every day they took me down to the basement for interrogation and tortured me. They undressed me... And my body couldn't stand it... Then I cleaned it all with my clothes. Then they lifted me back into the cell." 

Volha and Mikalai were kept in isolation cells and taken out for interrogations so that they did not see each other. Volha was not given a mattress or a pillow in the temporary detention facility, and she did not have access to water either:

"They gave me two liters of bottled water for a day and said: drink or wash yourself, as you wish. They also opened the window for it to be cold. June was very cold in Belarus, so I got sick there."

"They put a plastic bag over my head and tightened it"

At that time, Mikalai was brought to a regional center, but immediately after being registered in a temporary detention facility, he was taken away by KGB officers. The man shared with difficulty what happened to him next:

"The torture in the basement started again... They put a plastic bag over my head and tightened it. I was sitting in my underwear on a chair with handcuffs that were attached to the chair. They tighten the bag around my neck, and I couldn't breathe. When the bag stuck so tightly to my face that it was impossible to breathe, I shook my head, but it didn't help... When I lost consciousness, they tore open the bag and hit my ears many times. They slapped both of my ears and the back of my head at the same time, many times. I fell off the chair, but they picked me up and did it all over again many times. They took me up to an office and asked if I would continue to remain silent. But I didn't do anything. Then they told me to think about it until tomorrow and returned me to that small cell in the temporary detention facility. The music was playing very loud there all the time. They stripped me and took off my shoes and I walked barefoot on the concrete floor.

They kept me there for about 90 days. Every other day, I was tortured in various ways and taken for interrogations. And when they realized that I wouldn't say anything, they brought my wife and said that now she would be tortured. I asked them not to torture her. To this, the boss said that she would not be tortured and they had found another use for her. He started showing me pictures of her, ostensibly. It was a woman who looked like my wife. He also promised to show a video and said that she is beautiful. 'We value such a product as a Ukrainian tart. At least we will have some fun.' Then they started pressuring me and saying that my son had been arrested too. It went on for a very long time. They didn't let me sleep. I had to get up three times a night."

"If I didn't sign the document saying that I was a spy, she would die on an operating table"

Harsh conditions were created in the temporary detention facility where Mikalai was held between interrogations and torture, just like for his wife.

"The water in the punishment cell was turned on for me once every few days so that I could clean it up. But I just didn't eat, you know... I didn't have any toilet paper. I asked the guard for soap to wash the toilet, and at least I could drink the water from it. I was constantly harassed and threatened. They took me to the KGB all the time. After some time, they said that my wife needed an urgent surgery, and if I didn't sign the document saying that I was a spy, she would die on an operating table. And if I admitted that, then she would be saved. Then I agreed to sign, because I know that she had already had surgery in 2016 and she almost died then. It was their first victory," says the man.

Volha says that she really had an operation:

"They took me to a regional center for the surgery. I needed to be hospitalized, but the convoy employees who escorted me to the hospital refused because there was no one to keep an eye on me. They cut me in a gynecological chair, cleaned me, and sent me back to this prison. I was told that since I don't have health insurance, no one will pay anything for me."

"I started hearing sounds and going crazy"

All this time, the woman was in solitary confinement, which, according to her, began to affect her psychological state:

"I started hearing sounds and going crazy. They started worrying for me, maybe, and transferred me to a cell with girls. Nine girls were serving their days of detention there.

I once asked for an appointment with the head of the temporary detention facility so that he would explain to me what I was accused of. When I came to him, he told me (literally): 'You're a f*cking terrorist, and so is your husband. You're f*cked up. Soon, I won't need you here at all. You don't have a right to anything: no care packages, no calls, no lawyers. You're nobody here, and your name is no one.'"

In total, the woman was held in temporary detention facilities for six months.

"My underwear was torn to such an extent that I was already trying not to wear it. I was in the isolation cell all the time, but they searched me all the time anyway. Every day, I had to undress and squat naked," Volha says.

"He said that they had given my wife as a gift to the railway administration"

All this time, the interrogations and tortures of Mikalai continued.

"An employee came and said that I had allegedly done this and that [espionage activities, terrorism, etc.]. I told him that I didn't do it. Then he asked, 'Do you want to save your wife from what she's doing? Then sign it!' But I said I didn't believe them. He smiled and said that soon it would be Railway Worker's Day and they had given my wife as a gift to the railway administration. They took her to a sauna. He said he would show me a video of what she was doing there... And he left. A few days later, he came and started showing me a video, as if there was my wife there with these men... The employee said, 'Look how she likes it.' I wanted to say something to him, but instead I just mumbled... I stopped speaking at all then."

"I can't imagine what they did to him to make him stutter like that!"

During one of the subsequent interrogations, Mikalai was promised once again that his wife and her son would be released if he agreed to plead guilty and be imprisoned.

"I agreed. But the dates kept changing in the charges, as well as the location and my actions. Everything was completely changed at least four times. And when they finally finished everything, they promised me a meeting with my wife. They told me that if I signed everything, she would definitely be released. I agreed. In mid-October, we had a five-minute meeting at the temporary detention facility. She cried and asked me to sign everything, as she can no longer be there. I said I was doing everything I could to get her released. They took her away, and I signed everything."

Volha says that she did not recognize her husband at the meeting and does not understand what needs to be done to a person to bring them to such a state:

"My husband started stuttering. When I saw him in the detention center, I recognized him only by his clothes. I can't imagine what they did to him to make him stutter like that! People look like this at the fourth stage of cancer... What they did to him is just a nightmare! If I was broken only psychologically, but he was also broken physically. Our lives were ruined and six months were cut out of it."

After several months in the detention center, a criminal case was officially initiated against Mikalai for espionage, "terrorism", and "extremism," as well as sabotage.

"One day, a KGB officer came and said: 'Your wife lives with me and now she's my lover.' He was showing her pictures again... It lasted all the time... It was terrible."

"I couldn't believe for a long time that I was released"

At the end of November, Volha was woken up at 3:00 a.m. and told to get ready. Downstairs, she was met by masked men who blindfolded her, handcuffed her, and put her in a minibus. The woman was driven for a long time, and when the blindfold was removed, she saw a Ukrainian bus saying Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. Volha's release was unexpected for her.

The journey took about five hours. Volha's passport had a note indicating her deportation from Belarus and a fifty-year ban on entry. Volha has not been officially charged, and she has not signed any documents. The woman has only papers confirming her detention in a temporary detention facility.

A few weeks later, Mikalai was taken out of a punishment cell and taken to the Ukrainian border. He was released as part of a group of 123 political prisoners and five citizens of Ukraine.

"They're doing this to people there! I went to the bathroom, and they poured urine on top of me. During an interrogation, they put me in a chair for the disabled with a hole in the middle. They sat me down on this chair and beat me in the crotch with their feet or sticks," the man recalls new facts of violence.

Volha and Mikalai are currently undergoing rehabilitation with the help of Ukrainian specialists.

Source: Human Rights Center "Viasna"