In January human rights activists recognized the following women as political prisoners: Ilona Belavus, Liudmila Bazhok, Natallia Yurkevich, Liudmila Charniha, and Tatsiana Kolas. 

Yauhen Liviant, a renowned teacher and the head of the 100 Points tutoring center, was detained in Minsk in December. His daughter Anna Liviant was detained at his trial. Yauhen’s wife Yuliya Liviant was also detained. The whole family was arrested on charges of petty hooliganism and remained in prison after having served the arrest in full as a criminal case was initiated against them. 

After a hearing of the trial against Viasna HRC team, the Belarusian authorities detained Russian human rights defender Ekaterina Yanshina, who came to the court as an independent observer. She was sentenced to 15 days in jail. Yanshina’s lawyer was not allowed to visit her. She was not released from detention after 15 days and a few days later was reported to have been deported to Russia. 

Maryia Kalesnikava was in the medical unit of the Homiel prison since early January. Maryia was later transferred back to the residential facilities and assigned a working schedule, which was too heavy for her considering her health. In late November 2022, Kalesnikava had been admitted in critical condition from prison to an emergency hospital in Homiel with a perforated ulcer and underwent surgery, after which she remained in intensive care. For several days Maryia’s relatives were not informed about her condition, and her lawyer was not allowed to visit her. Prior to the hospitalization, Kalesnikava had spent 10 days in an extremely cold punitive isolation cell where she could not sleep. 

Political prisoner Natallia Nikitsina was released after having served her full sentence. Nikitsina, a doctor with 30 years of experience, was detained on September 29, 2021, at her workplace, the Minsk Center for Child Psychiatry and Psychotherapy. She was convicted in the so-called “Zeltser case” and sentenced to 22 months of imprisonment and fined 200 base values (about 2,300 euros).  

Political prisoner, Russian citizen Sofia Sapega was denied release on clemency. On May 6, 2022, Sapega was sentenced in Belarus to 6 years of imprisonment under charges of violating seven articles of the Criminal Code. Sapega had been detained in Minsk on May 23, 2021, together with journalist Raman Pratasevich, when Lukashenka’s regime forced the Ryanair aircraft, on which the couple was flying from Greece to Lithuania, to land at the Minsk National Airport.  

Minsk resident Tatsiana Kolas was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison for sharing the personal data of law enforcers with the Black Book of Belarus project. Kolas used to work for a state-owned company and have access to the personal data of law enforcers. The Black Book of Belarus is an initiative that emerged in the wake of the protests in 2020. Its Telegram channels published personal data of law enforcers, judges, and officials allegedly involved in the beating of peaceful protesters, abusive trials, and other human rights violations in Belarus. 

Political prisoner, journalist Sniazhana Inanets was sentenced to 2 years of home confinement. She had been detained on the grounds of following the Telegram channels of independent media and bloggers, which the regime recognized as extremist to pressure the media, and participating in the 2020 peaceful protests in Minsk.  

Yuliya Mudreuskaya, editor-in-chief of the ABW.BY portal focusing on the car market, was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment. She had been accused of participating in peaceful protests in 2020. 

The court sentenced tour guide Valeryia Charnamortsava to two and a half years of home confinement. She was detained in the fall of 2022, first arrested for 10 days, then transferred to a pre-trial detention center and accused of participation in peaceful protests in 2020 in Minsk. 

Natallia Haro, along with her husband, was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom for participation in the 2020 peaceful protests. They had been identified from photos on the Internet. 

It was reported that Aksana Zaretskaya, a member of the Coordination Council, an etiquette expert, and a Master of Pedagogy, was detained in December. Aksana is in a pre-trial detention center in Minsk. She is charged with Article 342 of the Criminal Code, “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them”. 

Political prisoner Darya Losik was sentenced to 2 years in prison. She had been charged with “promoting extremist activities” for an interview about her husband Ihar Losik with the Belsat independent publication, recognized by Lukashenka’s regime as extremist. Ihar Losik is a Belarusian blogger and political prisoner sentenced to 15 years in prison in late 2021. Losiks’ four-year-old daughter Paulina is now with her grandparents. 

Evelina Kozich, Yana Ziabko, and Hanna Kavaliova were detained in Minsk. The reasons for the detention are unknown yet. 

Volha Kariakina was detained together with her husband Yury and sons, musicians from the Litesound band. The reason for the detention was a family photo from a peaceful protest in 2020 in Minsk. 

A mother and daughter were convicted of sharing information about law enforcers with the Black Book of Belarus. Inna Hlinskaya was sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment, her daughter Valeryia Hlinskaya to 6.5 years. 

Alena Klimovich was sentenced to two and a half years of home confinement. Klimovich has a degree II disability. She was convicted of participation in peaceful protests in 2020 in Minsk. According to the case, Klimovich “twice took part in unauthorized mass events: went out on the roadway, while using a red balloon and white-red-white flag as protest symbols”.  

Singer Meryem Herasimenka was sentenced to three years of home confinement. Herasimenka was detained on August 4, 2022, after a concert in a Minsk bar, where the singer performed a song of the Okean Elzy band in support of Ukraine. After the detention, the singer was twice tried under an administrative article (15 days in jail each). Afterward, she was redetained within the framework of a criminal case.  

Political prisoner Darya Afanasieva was reported to be having health issues in prison due to forced labor. Afanasieva is an activist and feminist blogger known as Daphne. The court had sentenced her to two and a half years in prison for participating in the 2020 peaceful protests in Minsk. Afanasieva has asthma and works with synthetic textiles in prison, which made her condition worsen.  

Inha and Karyna Reidalf were sentenced to two years of home confinement each for participating in the 2020 peaceful protests in Belarus. 

Natallia Malets, a pensioner from Brest, was sentenced to 18 months of house confinement over a comment on Telegram, mentioning representatives of the authorities, including members of the state security bodies of Belarus. Forensic linguistic examination recognized Malets’ comment as “a negative assessment of a representative of the authorities”. 

English teacher Darya Tsyrkun was sentenced to three years of home confinement over her participation in the 2020 peaceful protests in Belarus. The prosecution used her photos from the protests as evidence. 

Ladaryia Kuzniatsova was detained in Minsk. She had previously been charged with a criminal article over her participation in the 2020 peaceful protests in Belarus. 

Natallia Illich, a mother of two children, was detained upon returning from abroad. The regime accuses Illich of messages in local protest chats in messengers. 

Yuliya Hrytskevich was detained over “insulting comments” about Belarusian law enforcers and authorities. 

Lawyer Tatsiana Lishankova was disbarred. Lishankova used to represent many political prisoners in Belarus. 

Lawyers Aksana Belaya, Natallia Volkava, and Volha Dziamidchyk, who also used to defend political prisoners, were revoked their licenses. The regime uses professional pressure as a tool for repression. 

Activist Valiantsina Bolbat was fined 3,700 Belarusian rubles (about 1,350 euros) for reposts on social media, which the regime considers as unauthorized online picketing. Bolbat had been detained before and stood three consecutive trials. Twice she was sentenced to 20 days of administrative detention, and the third time she was fined 320 Belarusian rubles (about 120 euros). For health reasons, she was released three days before the end of her sentence. Soon Bolbat was again summoned to the police department, where she was detained and sent to serve the remaining three days, during which time she stood trial again and was fined for reposted drawings. 

A new criminal case was initiated against the mother of a Kastus Kalinouski Regiment volunteer fighter killed in Ukraine. Natallia Suslava is the mother of Pavel “Volat”, who stood at the origins of the regiment and died defending Ukraine. Suslava is charged with “participation in combat operations on the territory of a foreign state”. Earlier, a criminal case was initiated against her over an interview with the Belsat independent TV channel.  

Hanna Shurdziakova was detained in Minsk over “possession of protest symbols”, which included a white-red-white national flag, considered by the regime as a flag of “opposition”. 

Singer Aliaksandra Zakharyk was detained and her home was searched. She is charged with a criminal case and is at the moment in Akrestsina detention center in Minsk. 

Anastasiya Ivanova was detained on charges of sharing information with the Black Book of Belarus initiative.

Human rights awards

Belarusian human rights community named the laureates of the 2022 National Human Rights Prize:

• Nasta Loika, a human rights defender at Human Constata, currently sentenced to 7 years in prison, was named Belarus’ human rights defender of the year.  
• Aksana Kolb, editor of the Belarusian newspaper Novy Chas, currently a political prisoner, was named journalist of the year. 
• The International Committee for Investigation of Torture in Belarus was named organization of the year. https://torturesbelarus2020.org/en/