«I have never encountered such brutal treatment as in the Baranavichy pre-trial detention center.» Pensioner Alena Hnauk told how she was abused behind bars
Of almost four years behind bars, pensioner Alena Hnauk spent half of her term in punitive solitary confinement (SHIZA) and cell-type premises (PKT). Conditions in Baranavichy pre-trial detention center No. 6, where people are held until trial, are significantly worse than in the Zarechcha colony for female repeat offenders. "Radio Svaboda" told the story of the 68-year-old activist from Pruzhany.
Alena Hnauk. Photo: "Radio Svaboda"
Pruzhany activist Alena Hnauk, now 68 years old, spent 3 years and 11 months behind bars — from January 11, 2022, to December 13, 2025. In May 2021, the pensioner was sentenced to 2 years of "house arrest" — under the "people's" Article 342 in the so-called "round dance case" (every weekend after the 2020 presidential elections, a "round dance" was held in Brest, for which more than 130 people were convicted). Later, the woman was also tried for "defamation of the president" — in total, she received 3 years of freedom restriction.
On January 11, 2022, Alena was detained and given 15 days for violating the "house arrest" regime. But she was not released — another criminal case was opened against her under two articles: 367 ("defamation of the president") and 369-1 ("discrediting the Republic of Belarus") — for videos posted on social networks.
On June 17, 2022, the 65-year-old pensioner was sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in a penal colony and a fine of 3200 rubles. She ended up in Homel correctional colony No. 4. However, in the spring of 2023, at the initiative of the administration, a third criminal case was opened against Ms. Hnauk — for "malicious disobedience" to the administration under Article 411. And another year of imprisonment was added. Thus, the total term to which Alena Hnauk was sentenced is 4.5 years.
Pardon 2 Months Before the End of the Term
Alena Hnauk spent the last two and a half years in colony No. 24 for female repeat offenders in the village of Zarechcha, Rechytsa district. In this institution alone, she spent 180 days in SHIZA (punitive solitary confinement) and 6 months in PKT (cell-type premises). For more than a year, Alena was held incommunicado, without contact with the outside world.
Alena Hnauk was supposed to be released on February 21, 2026, but she was pardoned two months before the full completion of her sentence and sent to Ukraine. From there, she traveled to Poland, ended up in Wroclaw, and is trying to build a new life there.
Alena holds the Bible she was able to take with her from the colony. Photo: "Radio Svaboda"
When a large group of political prisoners was released in the autumn of 2025 with the help of American diplomats, others also hoped for a "grand bargain." Alena Hnauk recalls being invited to the operational department of Zarechcha colony No. 24 and asked if she was ready to leave the country if released.
«I was surprised and asked again: if I answer 'no,' will this answer affect whether I am released or not? I received an answer that it would not affect it. Naturally, I asked how many people would be released and how long I would have to wait. The head of the operational department told me that our release would be on the days of Trump's arrival in Europe to meet with Putin. And that about 50 people were planned to be released. But something went wrong, and my release was delayed.
At the end of November, I was once again placed in SHIZA for 15 days. I thought that maybe I wouldn't serve the full term: I would be released earlier — straight from the disciplinary cell to freedom. But I served until the end and stayed another 3 days in the unit. We had an old music center in which only the radio worked. The entire unit was at work, only the so-called "house prisoners" who didn't go to the factory remained — several pensioners, the head of the household.
I hear on the radio news that Lukashenka met with Trump's special envoy, Koole, and I think: "My time has come." I immediately left some of my belongings to other convicts. At 10 PM, lights out, I went to bed. The duty officer approaches and says: "Quietly get up, pack up, and head out," Ms. Alena recalls.
«All papers, letters, copies of sentences were taken away»
From colony No. 24, two people were pardoned — Alena Hnauk and Viktoria Kulsha, who had an additional year added to her main two-year term four times under Article 411 — for "malicious disobedience." But at that moment, Viktoria was taken to the pre-trial detention center in Homel to give some testimonies. So, Hnauk was essentially taken out of Zarechcha alone.
Bag for things Alena was allowed to take with her to SHIZA and PKT. Photo: "Radio Svaboda"
«They took me out of the cell, searched me, and frisked my belongings. I put on a pink prison dress — I wanted to take it out for a museum. But they ordered me to change into my own clothes. So they didn't give me the dress. And other prison dresses, outfits, prison shoes, for which I paid from my own pension, were also not allowed to be taken. I argued a little: I'll write a complaint, I said. I thought they would release me that night,» Ms. Alena recalls the events of a month ago.
She was given bedding, but she couldn't sleep, the interlocutor admits. At 7 AM, breakfast was brought, her mood was elevated, but even then, they tried to spoil it.
«I politely asked to be taken to the restroom. And the young controller tells me: ask "by report, with a full list of articles, extremist status." I refused: I said, I'm a free person now! The colony employee was furious, started demanding that I report "according to the form," called someone — and finally took me out.
At half past ten, they came for me and gave me my belongings. I ask: "Where are my letters, archives, notes, copies of sentences?" — "Papers cannot be taken out!" I started explaining that this was a violation of the law. But it was clear that they were following orders. So, they didn't give me any papers at all. From the colony, I only took out a small book of the New Testament, which one of the convicts gave me, and I also kept it," says the interlocutor.
Alena in her room at the Wroclaw shelter
Three people with covered faces put the woman in a car, handcuffing her hands and covering her eyes with a bag. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw multi-story buildings, realizing it was Homel.
«I started to shame these guards: 'I'm a pensioner, and you're covering my face — what are you afraid of?' They brought us to some field, next to the edge of a forest. In the clearing, there were two large buses; I was put in first, and the handcuffs were removed only inside the bus. Later, other girls from the Homel colony were brought. Men with covered faces were brought (some had hats pulled over their eyes, some had balaclavas — all had their hands tied). They also put some plastic handcuffs on me. But I tore the mask off my face. We had no idea where they were taking us. We first thought it was Vilnius. When we saw it was Ukraine, we were very surprised. Already at the border, I met Masha Kalesnikava, with whom we sat in the Homel SHIZA in the spring of 2023 and could exchange a few words during walks,» Ms. Alena recalls.
Warm Attitude of Ukrainians
The released Belarusians in Ukraine were very impressed by the broken roads, barricades, and felled forest — trees lay neatly fallen in one direction. Alena Hnauk recounts that when they were already driving to Poland, the woman asked an SBU officer accompanying the Belarusians why the trees lay so evenly. He replied that it was after missile strikes.
«In Ukraine, Belarusians were treated very warmly, kindly; many were accepted even without passports. Doctors immediately came and asked what complaints anyone had. SBU officers also asked what was needed first. We said communication — phones, to call relatives. "Viasna" volunteers came and helped find my children's contacts. Because I spent a year incommunicado, I had no contacts. They brought us phones, clothes — a big thank you to them! I am very touched by such a warm attitude from Ukrainians, to tears!» — Alena confesses.
Things Alena was able to take with her from the colony
Volunteers worked with the Belarusians, asking where they wanted to go next. People couldn't decide; initially, the conversation was about Vilnius.
«An SBU representative campaigned for Lithuania, saying that Trump had paid for our stay in Vilnius, and they were waiting for us there. Volunteer Alena advised going to Poland — saying that emigrants are treated better there. I don't know how the negotiations went. But the majority — about 90 people — finally went to Poland, fewer than 20 people to Lithuania. We were warmly welcomed in Warsaw, accommodated in a hotel. And after four days, many were distributed to different cities. I went to Wroclaw, where my youngest daughter Aliaksandra lives. And now each person has a volunteer assigned to them, who helps with everything. We have already filed documents for international protection.
For almost four years in the colony, my teeth didn't hurt — I ordered my body not to get sick. But on the first day of freedom, a tooth started hurting. Dentists have already contacted me…» — says Alena.
Baranavichy Pre-trial Detention Center
Having gone through several temporary detention centers and pre-trial detention centers (including Baranavichy, Homel, Minsk Valadarka), an examination at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health in Navinki, and two women's penal colonies, Alena recalls her stay in Baranavichy pre-trial detention center No. 6 as her worst nightmare.
«I have never encountered such brutal treatment as in Baranavichy. There was psychological abuse. We are still in the pre-trial detention center with the status of suspects, but we are already considered extremists! There are no yellow tags on our chests, but such tags have already been hung on the bunks. Every day, during inspections: the "yellow-taggers" must stand facing the controllers. Report: "I am so-and-so, I am a suspect in the case, article such-and-such, I am not on preventive registration."
But, for example, we had a young woman, Maryna, she was about thirty. She cut her veins at 15 years old; in the colony, they saw scars on her hands and ordered her to say that she was prone to suicide. And when a, excuse me, "snotty" controller approaches the "feeding window" and demands Maryna repeat 10 times a day that she is "prone to suicide and deliberate self-harm," she starts to go crazy,» says Ms. Alena.
Alena Hnauk
Hnauk recounts that she received her first punitive cell on the third day. "Political prisoners" were always "housed" on the second tier of bunks, regardless of age. From there, the 64-year-old woman descended not instantly, but a couple of minutes later — she waited for the girl from the first tier to make the bed. She says she will never forget that punitive cell.
«It's a 20-second walk from the cell to the punitive cell, but they lead you through an underground labyrinth with your belongings, in slippers up to your ankles in water. I "measured" the time with prayer — my prayer lasts about 1 minute, managing to read it 6-7 times on the way.
The punitive cell is a "glass" (tiny room), the bunks are screwed to the wall, and the toilet is on a pedestal a meter high, as narrow as a nightstand; it's almost impossible to get onto it. I understand I won't manage. There's only one way out — not to use the toilet, meaning not to eat. And I refused food. For this, a report was filed against me, adding another category to "extremist": "prone to suicide and deliberate self-harm." No stay in SHIZA or PKT lasted as long as the punitive cell in Baranavichy,» Hnauk recounts.
Prison cosmetic bag
As a devout believer, Alena refused to utter the phrase "prone to suicide" and was again sent to a punitive cell. The pre-trial detention center itself is located in a very old building; they say it was once a stable. Cleaning the small punitive cell had to take exactly 1 hour, not a minute less.
«Neither a rag nor a brush was "allowed," there was only toilet paper. I asked for a scrubber to clean the horrible toilet. The staff laughed: "Oh, we'll bring a scrubber right now." Then they did give a brush without a handle. I swept the trash, but there was nowhere to put it; they said to throw it in the toilet and offered to clean the toilet with the same brush. "Why didn't you wash the walls?" — "With what should I wash them?" Slowly, I scrubbed the floor, the walls… I got another punitive cell — for not cleaning it properly, and so on endlessly.
Later, I was placed in another punitive cell — with a "European renovation": tiled, with a small window, with a beautiful toilet. They gave me bedding for the night. During the day, I sat on the toilet and could even read a book for an hour,» the woman recalls.
100 Days in SHIZA, 3 Months in PKT
In total, Alena Hnauk spent 80 days in the punitive cell of the Baranavichy pre-trial detention center. Then there was a trial in Pruzhany under two articles: "defamation of the president" and "discrediting the authorities." She received 3.5 years of imprisonment and ended up in women's colony No. 4 in Homel. She spent only 8 months there, of which 3 months were in PKT and 100 days in SHIZA. Then — a new criminal case for "malicious disobedience," another trial where the pensioner was given an additional year of imprisonment. And a transfer to a colony for repeat offenders in Zarechcha.
Ms. Alena says that different people work in colonies. There are more or less normal ones, and there are those who want to curry favor with the authorities and abuse convicts.
Alena Hnauk
«We survived thanks to those people who still possess human qualities, dignity, who can sometimes turn a blind eye to certain moments so as not to cause people unnecessary pain. So, when I was transferred from PK-4 to PK-24, they said that the regime there was easier. Although the Homel colony is for "first-timers," and the Zarechcha one is for "repeat offenders," where some ended up for the eighth time, having 30 years of prison experience. By the way, in PK-24, I always slept on the lower bunks,» says the pensioner.
She adds that in Homel colony No. 4, there were not two inspections a day, but four. The "yellow-taggers" had to go outside and report fully.
«We waited in the cold for up to half an hour for the administration to arrive and listen to our long reports. But in colony No. 24, there were only two inspections a day. We didn't go outside but gathered near the duty officer's "nightstand",» the political prisoner names the advantages of the harsher colony.
And she concludes: the head of PK-24, Dzmitry Mikalayevich Kurlovich, is a more adequate person.
«There was no such abuse in Zarechcha as in Homel. Even when the administration came to us, and I was in SHIZA or PKT and they asked me about complaints, I said: "I want to express my gratitude to the head of PK-24, Kurlovich, because I was in the 'four' and here. And when we come to power, the administration from the 4th colony will be judged. As for the 24th, we might remove some from their jobs, but we will not bring criminal charges against the administration." They ask: "Why?" I answer: "First of all, for their attitude towards bread. Not a crumb of bread can be taken from the Homel colony's dining room. But our Belarusian people treat bread as a sacred thing.
When I first entered quarantine in the 4th colony, I was surprised that uneaten bread had to be thrown into the trash. It was impossible to take a single piece (for myself for a sandwich or for the many cats on the territory). But with the permission of the head of the 24th colony, bread could be taken with you — and this is a great relief for those who do not receive parcels," says Alena Hnauk.
Nevertheless, out of two and a half years spent in colony No. 24 (from July 2023 to December 13, 2025), the pensioner spent 180 days in SHIZA and 6 months (even slightly more than in SHIZA) — in PKT. In addition, she was held incommunicado for a whole year and didn't even know that her youngest daughter Aliaksandra had to leave Belarus for Poland with three children in 2024 due to persecution.
If all punishments are summed up, it turns out that out of 3 years and 11 months of "imprisonment," Alena Hnauk spent almost half of her term in SHIZA and PKT.
Help for Belarusians
By education, Alena Hnauk is a lawyer, she graduated from the All-Union Correspondence Law Institute (now Kutafin Moscow State Law University), later received a second higher education — she studied at the Faculty of International Economics of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Since the perestroika era, she has been involved in human rights activities. Together with the founder of the "Viasna" Human Rights Center, Ales Bialiatski, she participated in a conference of the Russian "Memorial" and was acquainted with Academician Andrei Sakharov.
Before her detention, Alena Hnauk lived in Pruzhany district. In 2020, she attended all protest actions in Brest and Minsk. In the colonies, she wrote numerous complaints about the conditions of detention addressed to the Prosecutor General and other authorities.
Having found herself free, Alena intends to fight for the release of other political prisoners and prepare documents for international organizations. She also calls on all those willing to help the released by donating to their lives after leaving Belarus.
«We all await the release of all other political prisoners — and there are still more than 1,000 of them in the colonies. People will most likely be deported again. They will need accommodation and financial assistance. I am very grateful to all the volunteers and kind people for their help. Especially to the Belarusian community in Wroclaw, as well as to the owners of the shelter where former prisoners were housed. But new shelters will be needed when a new group of released people comes out, and funding is essential,» Alena Hnauk is convinced.