"Black Zone." What is known about Belarusian political prisoners held in psychiatric clinics

As of late October 2026, according to human rights activists, more than 880 political prisoners are behind bars in Belarus. In total, since the beginning of the wave of repression in the summer of 2020, more than 4800 people have received official political prisoner status. The total number of those who have been persecuted for political reasons, but have not received the corresponding status, may reach more than 8800 people.

Approximately 4000 political prisoners have already been released from behind bars. Some of them have fully served their sentences, about 700 people have been pardoned as a result of negotiations with the United States. Small groups of political prisoners have been pardoned at the initiative of the Belarusian authorities.

At the same time, at least several dozen people are currently held for political reasons in Belarus who cannot count on pardon or release after serving their prescribed prison term. These are people who, at the initiative of the security forces, are undergoing compulsory psychiatric treatment.

We tell you what human rights activists know about their situation and condition, in what conditions such people are held, and whether they have any chance of release.

At least 22 people

This is the number of political prisoners who are currently undergoing compulsory psychiatric treatment in Belarus, according to human rights activists. Most of them are men; it is also known that at least 7 female political prisoners have been placed in medical institutions for psychiatric treatment for various reasons. Human rights activists cannot publicly disclose the names and details of these people's cases.

Perhaps the most famous among them in the public sphere is Maryia Uspenskaya, the widow of Andrei Zeltser, who was killed on September 28, 2021, in his apartment as a result of a shootout with KGB officers. Maryia was detained on the same day and initially held in harsh conditions in the Akrestsina isolation center, then in Valadarka in Minsk. In December 2021, Uspenskaya spent three weeks at the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Mental Health (RSPCMH) in Navinki, where her psychiatric state was examined.

Павялічыць

Human rights activists know that Maryia was accused of complicity in the murder of KGB officer Dzmitry Fedasiuk (points 5 and 10 of Art. 16, part 2 of Art. 139 of the Criminal Code). She was considered a person "who committed a socially dangerous act... in a state of unconsciousness or became ill with a mental disorder after committing a crime" (point 13 of Art. 6 of the Criminal Procedure Code).

At the trial, Maryia's interests were represented by her mother; the political prisoner herself was not present at the sessions. Judge Valiantsina Ziankevich of the Minsk City Court assigned Uspenskaya compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital. In such cases, the court does not determine the term of treatment; Maryia will remain in the psychiatric hospital as long as doctors deem it expedient. After that, Uspenskaya may face a new trial.

Psychiatrist Siarhei Papou himself experienced what political repression is like. On November 7, 2020, he was detained at a protest march of medics, Papou served 15 days in Akrestsina, Zhodzina, and Mahiliou. Until 2021, Papou lectured at the Department of Psychiatry of the Belarusian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education and practiced in a psychiatric hospital. He now works as a doctor in Finland.

Siarhei Papou admits that after what Maryia Uspenskaya went through, she might not just have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but a more serious mental illness.

"The court could have qualified that she poses a threat to others. But also the fact that the woman has been kept under compulsory treatment for so long, that she sees no prospects, no future, having a minor child, also affects her mental state," the expert believes.

Among other women who were also assigned compulsory psychiatric treatment is Nelly Alferava, a craftswoman, artist, and writer from Polatsk. On social networks, she called herself a "literary and creative person." She was an election observer and published videos. In 2021, she emigrated to Poland with her son but later returned to Belarus. In 2024, Alferava was tried in a closed session "for insulting a government official" (Art. 369 of the Criminal Code) as "a person who committed a socially dangerous act." Nelly also has a minor son with a disability.

Natallia Manyla was sentenced to compulsory treatment under Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code ("facilitating extremist activity"). It is known that before her arrest, she helped political prisoners who were imprisoned.

Natallia Mikulich was sent to a psychiatric institution "for insulting a government official" (Art. 369 of the Criminal Code), "inciting social hatred" (Art. 130), and "defamation" (Art. 188).

"Insulting the President"

According to human rights activist and Viasna lawyer Sviatlana Halavnyova, political prisoners accused of "insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus" are most often sent for psychiatric examination. But there are also charges under other criminal articles.

In 2024, compulsory treatment in a psychiatric hospital with enhanced supervision was assigned to 25-year-old Minsk resident Asker Alakhverdiyev. He was accused of "preparing to participate in military operations" (Article 361-3 of the Criminal Code). The trial was held in a closed session.

21-year-old Ivan Miksha was assigned compulsory treatment after he tore down state flags from the buildings of the Cultural Center in Ivye and the editorial office of the district newspaper "Ivyevski Krai".

According to the investigation, on the evening of March 26, 2021, Miksha decided to "demonstrate his insulting and blasphemous attitude towards the state symbol of the Republic of Belarus" (Art. 370 of the Criminal Code). The young man is now being treated in a closed psychiatric institution.

Danila Zharyn was tried for an act of terrorism (Art. 289 of the Criminal Code), accused of attacking the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Institute in Mahiliou in June 2021. The judicial board of the Mahiliou Regional Court assigned Zharyn "treatment in a psychiatric hospital with enhanced supervision."

All political prisoners sent for compulsory treatment undergo psychiatric examination. A police officer, investigator, prosecutor, or judge can request it, explains human rights activist Sviatlana Halavnyova.

"According to Article 228 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the grounds are formulated as follows: 'If there is doubt about their consciousness or ability to independently protect their rights and legitimate interests in criminal proceedings.' That is, if a person is charged with 'insulting a government official' or 'insulting the president,' they are sent for examination: the investigator or prosecutor immediately has these doubts. Well, other circumstances can also influence. For example, how the person interacts with the investigator," the lawyer reflects.

The final decision to send an inmate for treatment is made by the court. However, court sessions are often held in closed mode.

"People (who were sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment. — RS) are not considered convicted in a criminal case. In theory, compulsory treatment should not be a punishment for a crime. But in practice, it turns out to be exactly that. This is truly an 'indefinite term,' because a person is forcibly held in a closed institution, effectively in captivity, until the state recognizes that the person has recovered. A big problem is that people are in psychiatric hospitals under the unlimited power of the chief doctor, without connection to the outside world," says the Viasna human rights activist.

The right to meet with relatives, make calls, and receive parcels for those assigned compulsory treatment is provided for by the general norms on patient rights in psychiatric hospitals, according to Article 40 of the law "On Psychiatric Care." A lawyer can also theoretically visit such a person if relatives have concluded an agreement with him and pay for his services. The political prisoner himself, who has been declared incapacitated, cannot independently conclude an agreement with a lawyer and summon him, the human rights activist explains. She adds that the system of psychiatric institutions is very closed, and it is unknown what actually happens there.

"Turning a person into a 'wretch'"

Павялічыць

There are no known cases of release of political prisoners who have been undergoing compulsory psychiatric treatment since the events of 2020. However, several former political prisoners have gone through so-called "psychiatric examinations" to which they were sent from colonies.

Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk served her sentence in Homel correctional colony No. 4 and Rechytsa correctional colony No. 24 – with a strict regime. She was assigned several forensic psychiatric examinations. Palina said that there is a separate building for this on the territory of the Minsk RSPCMH in Navinki.

"The territory is surrounded by a concrete fence and posts with barbed wire. The conditions are like in prison, or maybe even worse. Between the fence and the posts, there are dog kennels, several dogs running around. In 2024, the building itself was under renovation, done by people of Asian appearance. People were brought there from the SIZO from Valadarka (and now from Kaliadzičy) by prison van, all in handcuffs. We stood against the wall – men and women separately. All belongings were taken away, and we were changed into such terrible clothes! I called it 'turning a person into a wretch.' The clothes are truly awful, huge in size, women are given flip-flops of size 45 – everyone looks like real 'psychos'! During walks – hands behind your back, and when I refused to walk like that, they stopped taking me for walks. The courtyard is a concrete bag, no grass, no trees," Palina recalls.

According to her, in the ward, there are 4 iron beds, mattresses, and linen are provided. There is an iron-covered table and an iron bench – everything is screwed to the floor. There is no washbasin, no toilet, the window has no handles – it does not open.

"The door has a 'feeder hatch.' 4 times a day they take you to the toilet, at other times – to a plastic bucket. Shower – once a week. They give one plastic bottle: for drinking, and, excuse me, for washing oneself. You fight for hygiene products. I brushed my hair with a toothbrush, a comb was not allowed. The only outlet – you can lie on the bed all day," Palina Sharenda-Panasyuk recounts.

According to the former political prisoner, each time she underwent examinations in Navinki, she had new doctors. In Palina's opinion, doctors generally understand why political prisoners end up there.

"I categorically refused to talk to psychiatrists, saying that this was punitive psychiatry. So they didn't particularly bother me. Imagine: they conduct tests, give some old booklets. Once they gave me tests in Ukrainian. I told them: 'Wow! You haven't taken them away yet?' It's hard to describe all this 'surrealism': a young female doctor sits there, understands why I am here, and it's hard for me to imagine why she, understanding that this is repression, maintains a serious expression. I went through these tests with sarcasm and malice: '2 + 2' – I write '10'. Kafka rests!" the interlocutor recalls.

She adds that if people do not play by these rules, the regime interprets their behavior as a mental deviation.

"If you call yourself a political prisoner – that's a diagnosis: 'paranoid personality disorder.' 'You don't like Lukashenka? How so? It's like not liking the sun!' The regime's top officials already imagine themselves as some divine function to such an extent that anyone who doesn't believe in this is considered a 'mental deviation'," says Palina.

"An examination can only be requested by 'people in uniform'"

Former Belarusian doctor Siarhei Papou, who now works as a psychotherapist in Helsinki, is well acquainted with the system of psychiatric care in Belarus. He notes two important aspects: medical (which relies on the law "On Psychiatric Care"), and legal.

"An examination can only be requested by 'people in uniform' (investigators, prosecutors, and also judges). And it is clear what the place of doctors is here. Doctors only conduct the examination, they do not make decisions; the court decides the fate of this person. Yes, doctors are sometimes invited to court sessions, questions are asked. But, I repeat, only the court decides whether to send a person to a penitentiary institution or for compulsory treatment to a psychiatric institution," Siarhei Papou explains.

According to the law, the court can choose 4 options for compulsory treatment. The first - the lightest - is when a person is at home but must appear before a psychiatrist at a specified time. This option is not applied to political prisoners. The other three involve restricting freedom, says the psychiatrist.

"The second option - this could be an ordinary psychiatric clinic, a psycho-neurological boarding house, a closed-type department. However, the person there has relative freedom, a normal treatment regime. Like in Astrašycki Haradok, in Lepel. The third - hospitals with enhanced supervision. There are several of them in Belarus, the most famous are in Hajciuniški, Voranava district, and the RSPCMH in Navinki, where there are several buildings separated from the main territory. I believe that most political prisoners are held there. The fourth option is an institution with a very strict regime, which is already like a prison. But there are psychiatrists there; until 2020, there were even psychotherapists. Now - I don't know. Moreover, we don't know exactly what measure the court assigned to whom," says Siarhei Papou.

Human rights activists do not have information on what type of treatment the court assigned to some political prisoners and in which institutions they are held.

"It's impossible to be treated endlessly"

Regarding the so-called "indefinite term" of treatment, there is no such definition in the law "On Psychiatric Care," states psychiatrist Siarhei Papou. The law stipulates that every person undergoing compulsory treatment must undergo a medical and consultative examination at least once every 6 months.

"Usually, this is done by several doctors, the head of the department, and someone from the administration. They assess the patient's general psychiatric state, determine the diagnosis. And if they decide from a medical point of view that the person has recovered, they prepare documents, conclusions - all this is submitted to the court. From a medical, psychiatric point of view, it is impossible to be treated endlessly. But I admit that the security forces do whatever they want. There are probably conflict situations when doctors write that a person does not require treatment. But still, the courts, the prosecutor's office, the KGB - people in uniform - decide everything. In general, the topic is very closed," says the expert.

Siarhei Papou also believes that doctors working in psychiatric hospitals where political prisoners are held still do their job and provide them with assistance.

"How can one be released from treatment? No way"

A psychiatrist by main education, former prison doctor Vasil Zavadski is also familiar with the Belarusian penitentiary system from the inside. He says that in both psychiatric treatment facilities and penitentiary institutions, there are harsh doctors like "Doctor Mengele," but there are also empathetic doctors.

Zavadski points out that political prisoners who were sent for compulsory psychiatric treatment first came into the attention of law enforcement agencies.

Павялічыць

"That is, it was not a medical initiative to send them for treatment, but an initiative of 'people in uniform.' Police officers, investigators, prosecutors, KGB officers. The commission of medics only concludes that the person has a 'diagnosis' and needs compulsory psychiatric treatment. Well, even in ordinary psychiatric hospitals, the conditions are difficult, even harsher than in penitentiary institutions. I'm not even talking about compulsory treatment," Vasil Zavadski is convinced.

Human rights activists emphasize that, unlike prisoners in prisons and colonies, political prisoners sent for compulsory treatment are deprived of their freedom for an indefinite period.

"Ordinary prisoners who are in detention are released sooner or later. After the end of their term, by amnesty, by pardon. But how can one be released from treatment? No way. That is, they do not fall into the lists for pardon, are not subject to amnesty, or early release. They are in such a 'gray zone.' I would even say: in a 'black zone'," says Mr. Zavadski.

The former prison doctor also admits that it is very difficult to obtain information about the conditions in which political prisoners are held under compulsory treatment.

"For those who have relatives - maybe it's easier. For those without relatives - it's generally difficult. But relatives also don't want to share. In addition, there is medical confidentiality. As for communication with the outside world, I will express my opinion: even in ordinary psychiatric institutions, mobile phones are taken away. Relatives can call, and if the nurse is in a good mood, she might call the patient. But in closed institutions - probably not. As for correspondence, maybe political prisoners have the right to send letters, but where will they get envelopes? There is no public control, no patient organizations - nothing. There is more control over prisons, but if a prosecutor comes there, the doctors will say whatever they want - and that's it. The topic is very closed," Vasil Zavadski concludes.

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