OEEC and Volha Kavalskaya released the findings of a study on Belarusian women in exile. https://oeec.ngo/opinions/research/emigration/

At the United Nations, the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus, Iryna Vialichka, attempted to portray a positive situation in Belarus regarding Sustainable Development Goals. In response, Belarusian democratic forces provided an alternative report on SDGs to the UN. Anastasia Kostyugova, a representative of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office, spoke about human rights violations, repression, and political prisoners.

Meanwhile, Natallia Kachanava, the Speaker of the upper house of Belarus’ parliament, spoke at a meeting of the Belarusian Women’s Union board about how, based on research, Belarus is the “best country where women feel protected”.

As of July, 195 women were officially recognized as political prisoners in Belarus. The actual number of those imprisoned on political grounds is much higher.

Journalist Yauheniya Douhaya and artist Anna Tatur founded the Palitvyazynka project featuring portraits and stories of politically imprisoned Belarusian women. https://www.instagram.com/politvyazynka/

On June 19, the first anthology of poetry by Belarusian women was presented at the Berlin Academy of Arts. It included works by 63 Belarusian female poets. The book was published under the patronage of the Pflaŭmbaŭm publishing initiative founded by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich.

Nasta Dashkevich, the Deputy Chairperson of the Young Front (Malady Front), was sentenced to a year of home confinement for participating in the August 23, 2020 demonstration. Her husband, Zmitser Dashkevich, was sentenced to a year and a half in a penal colony. The family has four minor children, with the youngest born on June 15.

Danuta Piarednia, a 20-year-old student, was sentenced to 6.5 years of imprisonment and designated a “terrorist” for reposting a message on Telegram.

The KGB also listed Maryna Sankevich, 28, as an “individual related to terrorist activities”.

Sviatlana Trapkova was sentenced to two years of home confinement for calling two police officers “rubbish” in a comment on social media.

Ukraine’s Migration Service initially refused to review the documents of Belarusian volunteer Karyna Patsiomkina for the extension of her residence permit. They went on to stamp her passport, demanding that she left the country within 15 days. Public outcry and support helped have the decision revoked. Karyna Patsiomkina received a temporary residency permit in Ukraine.

Unfortunately, not all stories involving Belarusians in Ukraine result in a happy ending. Inna Zaitsava, who became known after wearing a white-red-white wedding dress for the 2020 protests, had to flee Belarus with her family after the 2020 elections. They moved to Ukraine, bought a house in a Ukrainian village, and stayed there after the war started. However, after their temporary residency permit was not renewed, the family was forced to leave the country.

Journalist Kseniya Lutskina resigned from state TV after the 2020 elections. She was detained a few months later and spent two years behind bars before her case was sent to court. She faces a prison sentence of 8 to 12 years on charges of “conspiracy to seize power”.

The KGB detained Yuliya Zharankova, a physician at the Belarusian Research Center for Pediatric Oncology, Hematology, and Immunology. She is a member of the Panacea independent organization established by Belarusian doctors in 2021. Zharankova was released after interrogation.

Journalist Katsiaryna Andreyeva was sentenced to an additional 8.3 years in prison. She was convicted of high treason. Previously, Andreyeva had been sentenced to 2 years in prison for live-streaming a protest rally. Her expected release date had been September 5, 2022.

On July 18, Alena Talkachova was released from pretrial detention. She was detained on May 18, 2021, along with other defendants in the TUT.BY case. The CEO of Tut.by Media, Liudmila Chekina, and the chief editor of the news portal, Maryna Zolatava, remain behind bars.

Police officers visited teacher Alena Putsikovich, who is serving a sentence of home confinement. During the visit, the officers shot her dog with a rubber bullet. The dog survived.