Over the previous month, Belarusian human rights defenders reported at least 386 cases of political persecution – 339 trials, 79 arrests, and 46 fines. More than 54 people were convicted of criminal offenses, including 22 women. 

As of October 2023, at least 1,441 civil society associations, organizations, or foundations have been liquidated in Belarus. 

In October, the following women were recognized as political prisoners: Alena Dzmitryeva, Ala Sakalenka, Natallia Malets, Alesia Liantsevich, Katsiaryna Brukhanava, Natallia Sharametava, Volha Stabrouskaya, Ala Zuyeva, Aksana Liaushova, Alena Mikhaliuk.    
Several Belarusian citizens were reported to have been arrested when applying for Polish visas. People who had previously participated in peaceful protest rallies in Belarus in 2020 were detained when they arrived at Polish visa centers to collect their visas. The people found themselves in prison and were unable to travel to Poland. 

Providers of Polish language courses faced intensified inspections. The regime’s law enforcement authorities targeted the companies that conduct Polish language courses to prepare Belarusian students for admission to Polish universities. 

Pre-trial Detention Center No. 1 in Minsk stopped accepting medication parcels for political prisoners without a prior application. New rules have been implemented, requiring political prisoners to submit a written application and present it to the medical unit. Whether the parcel will be accepted is determined by the doctor, who grants or denies written approval. The prisoner is then to send the application with the list of necessary medications by mail to their relatives. Without this procedure, the prisoners’ relatives can no longer hand over parcels with medications, even though imprisonment facilities lack adequate medical assistance. 
 
Activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk was sentenced to another year in prison after she was charged with a new criminal case in spring 2023 for “malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the correctional institution”. At the trial, she said she had been beaten and pressured by the staff. The activist had previously been sentenced to an additional year in prison in the summer of 2022, right before she was to be released after fully serving her initial sentence. 

Russian citizen Natalya Kuksenok was fined in Vitsebsk for sharing materials recognized as “extremist”. This was the second politically motivated administrative case against Ms. Kuksenok in Belarus. 
 
Valeryia Trayanovich (Aucharenka), who is on maternity leave, was sentenced to a year and a half of restricted freedom under home confinement for “organization and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them”. Ms. Trayanovich was accused of participation in peaceful protests against the rigged presidential election in Belarus on the night of August 9-10, 2020, having been identified from a video seized from another person. 

Ala Zuyeva, 62, who suffers from cancer, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison under the articles of the Criminal Code “Insulting a government official” and “Insulting the President”. Ms. Zuyeva is also to pay large damages to two “victims”. The criminal case had been initiated because of the woman’s comments on Telegram.  

Anastasiya Nikitsina and her husband were sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under home confinement each for participation in peaceful rallies in 2020. The prosecution used the couple’s photos from the marches on their social media as proof. 

Valiantsina Berasnieva was sentenced to a year and a half of restricted freedom under home confinement for participating in a peaceful rally on August 9, 2020. 

Dziyana Laputsina was sentenced to two years of restricted freedom under home confinement for participating in a protest rally in 2020. Ms. Laputsina has a six-year-old child. 
 
Political prisoner Ryta Zotava was released after serving a sentence of two years in prison for distributing protest stickers and pamphlets. 

Politically imprisoned cultural manager Mia Mitkevich was released after more than two and a half years of imprisonment. 

Political prisoner Aksana Aliakseyeva was released after fully serving more than a year in prison under a politically motivated verdict. 
 
Volha Kuranchyk, a nurse at the Zhemchuzhina Health Resort in Hrodna, was sentenced to restricted freedom under home confinement (the exact term of the sentence is unknown) for her comments about the regime’s security forces on Telegram.  
 
Ukrainian citizen Katsiaryna Brukhanava was sentenced to two years in prison in Belarus for a video found in her phone, depicting Russian military equipment outside Minsk. This sentence is part of the Lukashenka regime’s efforts to crush any anti-war activities in Belarus. 
 
In Minsk, blogger Anna Bond was detained for “disobeying a police officer”. At first, she was fined but afterwards sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest.  
 
Political prisoner Darya Tarasevich was sentenced to three years of restricted freedom under home confinement for participating in peaceful protests in 2020. Ms. Tarasevich was identified from photos on social media. 

Yuliya Shostak, the head of a dance studio in Minsk, and her business partner were detained for participation in peaceful protests in Belarus. The regime’s media insist that they allowed participants of the 2020 protests to gather in their dance studio and draw posters for the protest rallies.  

Inna Bahdanava was sentenced to 18 months in prison for her participation in peaceful protests in 2020. 

A woman was detained and fined in Brest for filming a video for TikTok in a police uniform. 
 
Lizaveta Klianitskikh and her husband were sentenced to three years each, and Zhanna Nahula to two years of restricted freedom under home confinement. All of them were accused of participating in peaceful protests in 2020. The repressed were identified from photos of the marches.  
 
Lukashenka supporters are not protected against the repression. Eva Piskun, 70, was arrested and placed in pre-trial detention for a negative comment about a former police chief, who had not responded to Ms. Piskun’s appeals. The woman was fined a substantial amount, while her acquaintances reported that she was in shock after facing torture in detention. 

Natallia Litvinenka was sentenced to 2 years of restricted freedom under home confinement for participating in protest rallies in Minsk in 2020. 

In Minsk, a teacher and the head of a student dormitory were convicted of participating in peaceful protest rallies. Teachers Nadzeya Staravoitava and Natallia Sivitskaya were each sentenced to 3 years, while dormitory head Alena Drabudzka to 2.5 years of restricted freedom under home confinement.