political persecution in Belarus
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Articles
Family ties from behind bars: Imprisoned Belarusian families
As of December 28, 2022, there are more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus. The Viasna Human Rights Center continues telling the stories of people who ended up in prison…
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Articles
“Welcome to Gestapo”: How political prisoners were tortured in Belarus in 2022
The Viasna human rights defenders continue documenting all cases of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment with the belief that the perpetrators will eventually be brought to justice, and…
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August 2020
Torture and abuse in 2020 – story of Aksana D.
22 years old, freelancer. "I was told that child protection workers were going to pay us a visit. That's what sent me reeling"
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News
Belarusian ex-investigator sentenced to 11 years of imprisonment
Yauhen Yushkevich, a former investigator and founder of the ByChange project aimed at retraining dismissed security forces officers and civil servants, was convicted on December 26.
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News
Brest resident convicted for wanting to become volunteer fighter in Ukraine
A state television channel aired a segment about the first Belarusian who had been convicted for wanting to join Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression. Eight Belarusians have already been convicted…
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Articles
Natallia Hersche: “I want to come to New Belarus!”
Ten months after her release, the former political prisoner talked to Gazetaby.com about how she hadn't given in while in detention despite the terrible conditions, how she was undergoing rehabilitation,…
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Viasna
Ales Bialiatski’s Nobel speech: “Today the entirety of Belarus is in prison”
The human rights activist Ales Bialiatski was unable to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in person because he has been imprisoned by the Belarusian regime for 17 months. On December…
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Articles
“One can’t endure such conditions. He will die”: Repeated arrests and torture in Belarus
This has been a common practice in Belarus for more than a year now: after a person is sentenced to a few days of administrative detention, they are repeatedly detained…
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Articles
Death of Vitold Ashurak: What prison walls hide
Former political prisoners Viktar and Siarhei, who served time in Shklou, managed to obtain information about Vitold Ashurak's death in the penal colony and are now sharing it.
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News
10 political prisoners convicted in the “student case” are now released
On November 30, almost all of those who had been illegally arrested on November 12, 2020, and subsequently convicted in the "student case", were released. They have served their sentences…