European Parliament approves resolution on worsening situation of political prisoners in Belarus

Aliaksandra Pulinovich

The European Parliament adopted an urgent resolution on the deteriorating situation of political prisoners in Belarus, specifically regarding the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich, sentenced to 10 years and 3 months of imprisonment in a reinforced regime colony.

At the time of her detention in 2024, Aliaksandra Pulinovich was 17 years old. In 2025, she was convicted under Article 341 (desecration of structures and damage to property), Article 295 (illegal actions concerning firearms, ammunition and explosives), Part 1 of Article 14 and Part 3 of Article 289 of the Criminal Code of Belarus (attempted crime, not brought to completion, act of terrorism). She was detained in the so-called "Black Nightingales" case. Aliaksandra Pulinovich is serving her sentence in Penal Colony No. 4 in Homel.

"'(The European Parliament) demands the immediate and unconditional release of Aliaksandra Pulinovich and all political prisoners, including their full rehabilitation and restoration of rights,' the resolution states."

At the same time, MEPs expressed their unwavering solidarity with Belarusian political prisoners and their families and called on the Belarusian authorities "to stop all forms of ill-treatment of political prisoners, including detention without the right to correspondence, denial of medical care and access to lawyers and family, forced labor, and to investigate deaths in custody and allegations of torture."

The resolution stated the unacceptability of politically motivated persecution of Belarusians, especially the deprivation of liberty of minors, as in the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich.

"'(The European Parliament) condemns the abuse of anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to criminalize anti-war expressions, youth dissent, solidarity with Ukraine, and the suppression of peaceful protests, including serious accusations against young people to intimidate them; calls for the abolition of terrorist and extremist lists and for the Belarusian authorities to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child,' the document states."

MEPs acknowledged the efforts of the US to release political prisoners but noted that these releases were motivated by the regime's concern for economic survival and were not accompanied by political transformations or reforms that could justify the normalization of relations.

"'(The European Parliament) insists that the release of all political prisoners and the cessation of repression remain preconditions for political dialogue and economic cooperation; demands an end to the forced deportation of released political prisoners and repression against their relatives,' the resolution states."

At the same time, MEPs called on the EU, its member states, and international partners to intensify efforts leading to the release of all political prisoners, such as summoning the regime's ambassadors to confirm the status and whereabouts of prisoners, monitoring political prisoner cases, issuing humanitarian visas, providing rehabilitation, practical, and financial support.

The European Parliament also called on the European Council "to expand, strengthen, and strictly enforce targeted sanctions against all individuals and organizations responsible for politically motivated persecutions, repressions, and torture," and for European countries to support the documentation of crimes committed by the Lukashenka regime, including at the UN level, and to deepen accountability through international mechanisms, including Lithuania's appeal to the ICC, as well as investigations and national procedures based on extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction.

This resolution will be sent to all European Union bodies, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the "de facto authorities of Belarus."

Why this is important

In Belarus, harsh repressions began after the 2020 presidential elections, when mass protests against the falsification of their results took place across the country. Protest participants, entire professional groups, and public organizations fell victim to politically motivated persecution.

According to a study by the BelPol initiative, the total number of repressed individuals in Belarus from May 2020, when the presidential election campaign began, to April 2026, amounts to no less than 500,000.

According to human rights defenders, at least 869 political prisoners are behind bars in Belarus. Each month, 30–50 new prisoners receive this status.

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