Pensioners, activists, large families: who made it onto the list of 250 pardoned political prisoners

Illustrative photo. Photo: Nasha Niva

51 Women Pardoned

The list of pardoned individuals includes 51 women and 199 men. Of these, 50 women were sentenced to imprisonment in a penal colony, and one to "khimiya" (restricted freedom). Three women were deported from the country — two human rights defenders and one journalist.

14 Years and 9 Months — Maximum Sentence for a Pardoned Political Prisoner

This was the sentence of Marfa Rabkova, coordinator of Viasna's Volunteer Service. She was held behind bars for over five and a half years in a penal colony. Politologist Valeryia Kastsiuhova, who was sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony, was also pardoned.

At least 34 pardoned individuals were sentenced to two and two and a half years of imprisonment. Some of them were detained in 2024, and their terms were expected to end soon. For example, Aliaksandr Shabunia was detained on December 25, 2024, and sentenced to two years in a penal colony under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code. Anastasiya Sikirytskaya was detained on October 31, 2024, in the "yard chats case." She was sentenced to two years in a penal colony, which are ending this year. The situation is similar for Liudmila Ksiandzova and many others.

The pardoned also include many who were only recently transferred to penal colonies after their appeals against their sentences were reviewed.

The Youngest of the Released Political Prisoners Are 20 Years Old, the Oldest Is 70

Three pardoned political prisoners are only 20 years old. These are Stanislau Amelianiuk from Zhabinka, convicted of "mockery of state symbols"; Uladzislau Horski from Hrodna region, sentenced to "khimiya" (restricted freedom) for "facilitating extremist activities"; and Aliaksandr Markin from Babruisk, sentenced to "home khimiya" (restricted freedom without referral to correctional facility) in the "Hayun case."

Mikita Zalatarou, now 21, was deported from the country. The young man was detained when he was just 16 — on August 11, 2020. Mikita suffers from epilepsy. He reported that he was on an IV drip three days before his release. He was released directly from the punitive solitary confinement cell (SHIZA).

The oldest female political prisoner is 70 years old. This is Alena Viarbitskaya, sentenced to a penal colony for solidarity with political prisoners.

In total, the list of pardoned individuals includes 17 people over the age of 60. According to human rights defenders, at least 12 pardoned political prisoners are of retirement age.

At Least 84 Political Prisoners Were Detained in 2025

According to Viasna, at least 84 political prisoners were detained last year. At least 76 political prisoners were detained in 2024. Six political prisoners had been in detention since 2021.

Nine people were detained back in 2020 and held behind bars for over five years. All, except Aliaksei Melnikau from Mahiliou, were deported from the country. Among them are Kiryl Kazey, sentenced to seven years of imprisonment; Dzmitry Kubrakou, who was detained on August 11, 2020, and sentenced to eight years in a penal colony. Blogger Eduard Palchys, sentenced to 13 years, was also pardoned — he was detained on September 27, 2020. Kim Samusenka, who was detained on November 3, 2020, was also deported from Belarus.

At Least 31 Political Prisoners Sentenced to "Khimiya"

According to Viasna, at least 31 political prisoners from the list of pardoned individuals were sentenced to restricted freedom with referral to an open-type correctional facility ("khimiya"). Among them is Andrei Nestsiarevich, owner of the Hrodna ethnic shop "Tsudounia". He was sent to serve an eighteen-month term for participating in protests at the Vitebsk open-type correctional facility No. 9. On the afternoon of March 20, he was sent home from work.

At Least 8 People Sentenced to "Home Khimiya" — Most in the "Hayun Case"

According to Viasna, at least eight political prisoners from the list of pardoned individuals were sentenced to restricted freedom without referral to an open-type correctional facility ("home khimiya" or house arrest-like restriction). Among them are seven defendants in the "Hayun case": Uladzimir Patapenka, Khakbierdzi Mamedau, Aliaksandr Markin, Aliaksandr Labuzau, Aliaksei Drupau, Aliaksandr Duleba, Dzmitry Tsaruk. Also pardoned was swimmer and candidate for master of sport Dzmitry Shchamer, sentenced to "home khimiya" for participating in protest actions.

Defendants in the "Yard Chats Case"

In the "yard chats case," 27 political prisoners were released, most of whom are women. Among them are 53-year-old Volha Matusevich, 46-year-old Tatsiana Minets, 58-year-old Rita Naumava, and 62-year-old Maryna Piatrazhytskaya.

Also on the list of pardoned individuals is 58-year-old political prisoner Maret Valiuk. The woman has a second non-working disability group, a removed thyroid gland, and needs regular medication. Maret was detained in the "yard chats case" in the autumn of 2024. She was accused of "creating an extremist formation" (Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code) and sentenced in the summer of 2025 to two and a half years in a penal colony.

Maryia Dzeychyk, who was released, was awaited by her three children. She was detained in October 2024 and accused in the "chats case" under Part 3 of Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code (creation of an extremist formation or participation in it) and Part 1 of Art. 130 of the Criminal Code (incitement of hatred or enmity). She was sentenced to two years and nine months in a penal colony, as well as a fine of 1,000 basic units.

Political Prisoners with Serious Health Problems

At least nine pardoned political prisoners had serious health problems and disabilities. For example, Ihar Shumilau has a third-group disability — he previously was in a car accident and lost a leg, and also has a serious problem with his right arm because of it. He was sentenced to four and a half years in a penal colony.

Journalist Aleh Supruniuk, also on the list, has a hearing disability. In the penal colony, he was not given the opportunity to use a hearing aid. For this reason, Aleh heard almost nothing and had huge problems communicating with other people. He was sentenced to three years in a penal colony for "participation in an extremist formation."

Five Pardoned Individuals Have Relatives Remaining Behind Bars

Some of the released individuals still have relatives and loved ones remaining behind bars. For example, deported journalist Katsiaryna Bakhvalava (Andreyeva) has her husband Ihar Ilyash detained, sentenced to four years in a penal colony for journalistic activity. 21-year-old Mikita Zalatarou has his father Mikhail Lapunou behind bars.

Siarhei Daronin, pardoned and convicted in the "yard chats case," has his wife Natallia, who was convicted in the same case, remaining in a penal colony.

Three Human Rights Defenders Deported from the Country

On March 19, Viasna Deputy Chairman and former Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) Valiantsin Stefanovich, Viasna Volunteer Service Coordinator Marfa Rabkova, and Human Constanta human rights defender Nasta Loika were pardoned.

Marfa Rabkova was detained on September 17, 2020. She was held behind bars for five and a half years. Later, the human rights defender was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment and a huge fine. Marfa's health seriously deteriorated in detention.

Valiantsin Stefanovich was held behind bars for over four years and eight months. On July 14, 2021, he was detained along with Uladz Labkovich and Ales Bialiatski. In March 2023, the Viasna members received long sentences: Uladz — 7 years in a penal colony, Valiantsin — 9 years in a penal colony, Ales — 10 years in a penal colony.

Nasta Loika was held in detention for over three years and three months. In June 2023, the Minsk City Court sentenced the political prisoner to 7 years in a penal colony for preparing a report "Persecution of anarchists, anti-fascists, leftists, and social activists in Belarus." Nasta was subjected to pressure in detention: in late summer 2025, Nasta was placed in a cell-type facility for six months.

Five Journalists Pardoned

On March 19, Belsat journalist Katsiaryna Bakhvalava (Andreyeva) was deported from the country. She was detained after a live broadcast from the scene of a brutal crackdown by security forces on demonstrators at "Change Square" in Minsk on November 15, 2020. The journalist was sentenced to two years in a penal colony. In 2022, Katsiaryna was sentenced to 8 years and three months in a penal colony for "treason against the state."

Four other political prisoner journalists were pardoned and remained in Belarus: Anton Kazelski, Aliaksandr Marchenka, Aleh Supruniuk, Dzmitry Navazhylau. All, except the last one, were sentenced to three years in a penal colony. Dzmitry, the former director of the Belapan news agency, was sentenced to eight years in a penal colony.

At Least 42 Defendants in the "Hayun Case"

According to Viasna, at least 42 political prisoners were released in the "Hayun case." Among them are those sentenced to a penal colony, "khimiya," and "home khimiya."

Russian citizen Yaroslava Khromchankava also made it onto the list of pardoned individuals. The Homiel Regional Court sentenced her to three years of imprisonment in a penal colony under general regime conditions.

Maksim Fiodarovich, coordinator of the "Angel" search and rescue squad, who was imprisoned for "facilitating extremism," was also released. He was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a penal colony under general regime conditions. The man was tried for nine instances of transferring data to "Hayun." He was also fined 500 basic units.

Viasna human rights defenders note that arrests and trials in this case are still ongoing. Viasna has information about at least 183 confirmed defendants in the case who have been taken into custody. The total number of detainees is much higher — human rights defenders are aware of several detentions that have occurred in recent weeks.

15 Convicted for Solidarity with Political Prisoners

According to Viasna, 13 women and two men convicted for solidarity with political prisoners were pardoned. Some of the pardoned women are over 50 years old: Natallia Zhyhar from Brest, convicted for solidarity with political prisoners, is 69 years old; Alena Viarbitskaya is 70; Alena Taparkova is 55; Volha Lotsmanava is 53; Aksana Liapko is 51.

Natallia Ladutska, a 61-year-old political prisoner, was also pardoned; she was found guilty of "facilitating extremist activities" last year and sentenced to four years of imprisonment and a fine of 600 basic units (24,000 rubles).

Another pardoned individual is Natallia Davydulina, a mother of many children. She and her husband have a large family — five children, one of whom is still in primary school. One of Natallia's sons, Dzianis Davydulin, is a former political prisoner. He was detained in March 2021 and sentenced to one and a half years in a penal colony on a political case. Natallia was detained during a "solidarity raid" with political prisoners on January 23-24, 2024. As a result, she was sentenced to three years of imprisonment in a general regime penal colony.

In January 2024, KGB officers conducted mass searches, interrogations, and detentions of relatives and loved ones of political prisoners, as well as former political prisoners, in Belarus. The reason was assistance to families of political prisoners, including from the "INeedHelpBY" initiative, which the authorities had previously declared an "extremist formation."

The name of political prisoner Aliaksandr Lykshyn is also on the list. He was tried twice on political cases, most recently in the case of the "pismo.bel" initiative. Two other defendants in this case — Aliaksandr Mazura and Pavel Karaniukhin — remain in detention. "Pismo.bel" is a service for sending letters to prisoners, used by thousands of Belarusians. The initiative was declared an "extremist formation" after the detention of the political prisoners. The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment under Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code (creation of an extremist formation or participation in it).

Three Political Prisoners Tried in the "Revolutionary Action Case." All of Them Were Deported.

In the "Revolutionary Action case," three political prisoners were pardoned and deported from the country: Aliaksandr Kazlianka, Pavel Shpetny, and human rights defender Marfa Rabkova, who was tried alongside them. Aliaksandr and Pavel were detained on March 2, 2021, as part of a criminal case initiated against anarchist movement activists from the Brest region. As a result, they were sentenced to seven and a half and eight years in a penal colony, respectively.

All deported individuals were not given back their passports.

11 Political Prisoners Convicted for Donations

According to Viasna, 11 political prisoners from the list of pardoned individuals were convicted for donations ("financing the activities of an extremist formation"). These include 57-year-old Ihar Hubarevich, sentenced to "khimiya"; 56-year-old Zhanna Dashkevich, sentenced to a penal colony; 47-year-old Pavel Kharytonau, sentenced to five years in a penal colony. Also among them is 31-year-old Nadzeya Karankevich — she was sentenced to five and a half years in a penal colony for donations. 37-year-old Alena Shapkins, who received five years of imprisonment for donations, was to be released from the women's penal colony.

Uladzimir Sitkovich, 58, who was sentenced to three years in a penal colony for donations, was also pardoned. It is known that Uladzimir has health problems. Several years ago, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor, which was surgically removed. However, after his detention, no medical examinations were conducted, nor was he allowed to take medication. Also, shortly before his arrest, the political prisoner was hospitalized due to blood pressure problems.

At Least 28 Convicted for Participation in Protests

According to Viasna, at least 28 pardoned political prisoners were convicted for participating in protest actions throughout Belarus. Among them is Siarhei Mauchuk, a defendant in the "Pinsk case." He was sentenced to six and a half years in a penal colony for participating in protests in Pinsk. His wife, Alena Mauchuk, was pardoned and deported in February 2025.

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