The year was characterized by recurrent peaceful protests, with the presidential election in August serving as a catalyst for the most egregious crackdown on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Belarus’ post-independence history. Opposition candidates, their campaign teams...

Nasta (Anastasia) Loika was sentenced to 7 years in a penal colony for “inciting racial, national, religious or other social enmity or discord” on 20 June 2023. She is a prisoner of conscience, targeted in retaliation for her human rights work.

Belarusian authorities should immediately and unconditionally release, and end the ill-treatment of Maryia Kalesnikava. She is a prominent opposition figure and symbol of the 2020 peaceful protest and has been held behind bars since September 2020. Maryia Kalesnikava has been ill-treated by the...

After having served almost 75 days in detention for purported petty hooliganism, Belarusian human rights defender and educator Nasta (Anastasia) Loika faces unfounded criminal charges and remains in detention. The authorities are targeting Nasta Loika in retaliation for her human rights work. There...

Belarusian human rights defender Nasta (Anastasia) Loika remains arbitrarily detained serving her fourth 15-day administrative punishment since September. The authorities continue targeting Nasta Loika with fabricated allegations in retaliation for her human rights work. There are serious concerns...

Belarusian human rights defender Nasta Loika was released on 6 October after spending 30 days in arbitrary detention on trumped up charges of “petty hooliganism”. The authorities have also closed a separate criminal investigation she was facing and lifted the travel ban that had been imposed on her.

Prisoner of conscience Sergey Tihanovski (Syarhei Tsikhanouski) is a popular blogger and prominent government critic, and the husband of Belarus’ exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He was arbitrarily detained in May 2020 and given 18 years’ sentence under trumped-up charges. The...

Belarusian human rights defender Nasta Loika has been arbitrarily detained since 6 September on trumped up charges of “petty hooliganism”. She is being denied access to her lawyer, warm clothing, and basic necessities, as well as to the medical care she requires. Nasta Loika is being targeted...

The next hearing in the trial against Belarusian human rights defender Marfa Rabkova has been scheduled on 25 April. She has been in pretrial detention since September 2020 and risks a lengthy jail sentence simply for her legitimate human rights work as coordinator of the volunteer network of the...

Marfa Rabkova is a Belarusian human rights defender and the coordinator of the volunteer network of the NGO Viasna. She has been in pretrial detention since September 2020 and risks a lengthy jail sentence simply for her legitimate human rights work. Despite worrying symptoms and a deterioration of...

Belarusian human rights defenders Ales Bialiatski, Valyantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich remain in pretrial detention and face trumped up charges in retaliation for their human rights work with the Human Rights Center Viasna. Nina Labkovich who was detained with them was released on 23...

Belarusian journalist Raman Pratasevich and his partner Sofya Sapega have been moved from pretrial detention to house arrest and no longer appear to be at imminent risk of torture and other ill-treatment. They were arbitrarily detained by the Belarusian authorities on 23 May, after their Ryanair...

Ales Bialiatski, Chairman of the Human Rights Centre Vyasna, Vyasna’s lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich and his partner Nina Labkovich, as well as the Vice Chairman of Vyasna, Valyantsin Stefanovich were transferred to pretrial detention on 17 July. They were arrested on 14 July alongside other human...