"Belpol": Half a million people repressed in Belarus since May 2020
This is stated in the report "On the Real Scale of Political Repressions in Belarus," presented by the organization "Belpol" at the III Congress on Political Prisoners in Belarus on May 22 in Vilnius, writes "Pozirk."
Citing the human rights initiative Dissidentby, it is noted that in 2020, 190 new cases of politically motivated criminal prosecution of citizens were recorded (no releases), in 2021 — 1,595 (75), 2022 — 2,363 (258), 2023 — 1,582 (618), 2024 — 1,761 (813), 2025 — 1,346 (606), and in the first quarter of 2026 — 314 (309).
The report notes that in 2024, the authorities "began to hide information about court hearings and verdicts, which complicated human rights defenders' access to information," hence the statistics for recent years are incomplete.
"Information with quantitative indicators also confirms that there is no talk of any 'loosening' of the regime's repressive policy or its 'humanization.' The number of new cases of politically motivated criminal prosecution exceeds the number of those released and those who have served their sentences," the authors emphasize.
"Belpol" notes that the legislation itself has changed "not so significantly" since 2020, but its interpretation by the authorities has "significantly changed." In particular, "actions that were previously considered completely harmless or minor offenses suddenly turned into crimes, including serious ones."
"The concepts of 'terrorism' and 'extremism' have significantly diverged from global practice since the 2020 presidential elections. The KGB of Belarus includes individuals and organizations in the official List of individuals and organizations involved in terrorist activities (lists of 'terrorists') on various grounds, including conviction under 28 articles of the Criminal Code.
An important circumstance: during political repressions, the Minsk regime often applies 'retroactive force of law.' This means citizens are punished for 'offenses' and 'crimes' that were not considered as such according to the norms of legislation in force at the time the imputed actions were committed (for example, for subscribing to online media or donating to organizations that were not recognized as 'extremist' at that time)," the report states.
Today, as "Belpol" notes, virtually "any opposition activity and 'dissent'" falls under the definition of "extremism," and "any connection to 'extremism' entails criminal punishment."
In addition, the authors draw attention to the problems faced by former political prisoners. This category of individuals in Belarus often faces "preventive supervision" or "preventive observation," as a result of which many of them are significantly restricted in their rights.
In particular, such citizens are obliged to: register with the police and appear several times a month for checks; inform "internal affairs bodies" about changes in their place of residence; not visit certain places (for example, cultural and mass events and sports events); not leave their homes at certain times of the day (for example, from 7 PM to 6 AM); not travel outside the district (city) for official or personal matters without the consent of the internal affairs body; not travel abroad.
Failure to comply with the requirements of preventive supervision or evading it is punishable by criminal penalties in the form of imprisonment (Articles 421 and 422 of the Criminal Code).
This means, the authors conclude, that many former political prisoners "are at risk of returning to places of deprivation of liberty." In addition, "they are also subjected to pressure measures not provided for by law." For example, summons to the police for "preventive talks," compulsory degrading labor – street cleaning, collecting stones in agricultural fields.
These events are covered by propaganda media, which claim that political prisoners thus "realize and atone for their guilt before the state."
Another type of repression mentioned in the report is "the expulsion of Belarusian citizens from the country," since such a procedure "is not provided for by any national legal norms and contradicts the provisions of the Constitution." The legal status of "pardoned" political prisoners is unclear – there are no official acts of pardon.
"Therefore, during this period, the prospects, even for released political prisoners who have left Belarus, are far from joyful. Many of them face not a dignified and safe life, but survival and uncertainty in a foreign country," concludes "Belpol."
During the 2020 presidential elections, hundreds of thousands of citizens signed for all candidates simultaneously, but there were also those who signed for only one or two opposition candidates.
Therefore, the report states, "if calculated by the signatures submitted to the CEC, the regime received data on approximately 400,000 individuals with an opposition stance towards the dictator."
"This category of citizens also faced repression. All 'signatories' for opposition candidates were dismissed from state and military service, as well as from law enforcement and security agencies. Many of them were dismissed from state enterprises and organizations, or their regular employment contracts were not extended. Those who were not dismissed (because it was impossible to replace everyone at once) are under constant control and moral pressure from management; their career advancement is prohibited," the authors emphasize.
There are other, less numerous categories of citizens. For example, as noted, people who "were not detained, but suffered physically and psychologically during the crackdown on peaceful protests by security forces, as well as due to the detention of friends, relatives, etc."
The figure of 500,000 repressed "could increase many times" if close relatives, who also "suffered negative consequences," are added to them, "Belpol" notes.
Comments