Belarus had a vibrant environmental civil society before 2020. Public interest in environmental rights was growing, organisations worked alongside state authorities on shared initiatives, and expert communities had developed over decades. The rigged presidential election of August 2020 and the brutal suppression of the protests that followed dismantled much of this. Environmental activists were detained alongside other protesters, organisations were dissolved on fabricated grounds, and legislation was rewritten to criminalise even the most minimal forms of civic engagement.
As of the beginning of May 2026, the total number of political prisoners in Belarus was 845. At least 20 people categorised as environmental activists have been recognised as political prisoners since the start of the 2020 presidential campaign. Five people are currently serving prison sentences. The actual number is probably higher.
May 21 is the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus.
May 21 is the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus.
This date was chosen in memory of Vitold Ashurak — a public and environmental activist from Beryozovka in the Lida district, and the first political prisoner to die in a Belarusian correctional colony following the 2020 protests.
Vitold was actively involved in the environmental problems of his town: he spoke out against the production of glass wool at a local factory, drew attention to the discharge of untreated wastewater into the Ditva river (which led to a mass fish die-off), and campaigned for a clean environment in Beryozovka. In September 2020, he was detained for participating in protests and subsequently sentenced to five years of imprisonment. On May 21, 2021, he died in custody under unexplained circumstances — the official cause was listed as cardiac arrest, but his relatives stated he had never had health problems before and the nature of the bodily injuries may indicate that the death was violent.
May 21 was designated in his memory as a day to stand in solidarity with all those imprisoned for peaceful activism in Belarus.
Political Prisoners
Currently imprisoned
As of now, based on available information, 5 political prisoners who were also environmental activists are being held in Belarusian detention facilities:
1.Stsiapan Latypau is a well-known Belarusian arborist (tree care specialist) and director of the company «BelArbo.» He promoted the topic of proper tree care and participated in the fight against giant hogweed.
Stsiapan was detained on September 15, 2020, when he attempted to protect a mural depicting «DJs of Change» in a courtyard. He was subsequently charged under three articles of the Criminal Code: Parts 1 and 2 of Art. 342 (organizing group actions that grossly violate public order, and failure to comply with authorities); Part 2 of Art. 363 (resisting a law enforcement officer); Part 4 of Art. 209 (large-scale fraud).
On August 16, 2021, Stsiapan Latypau was sentenced to 8.5 years in a penal colony. During the trial on June 1, 2021, the activist attempted suicide in the courtroom; he later made two more suicide attempts. In early March 2024, it became known that he had developed scurvy in prison.
Mailing address: Prison No. 4. 212011, Mogilev, ul. Krupskoy, 99A
2. Yauhen Rubashka— a participant in the «Food Not Bombs» initiative distributing vegan and vegetarian food to those in need, and took part in defending Kotovka park from development in Minsk.
He was convicted under Part 1 of Art. 342 (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them) and Part 3 of Art. 361-1 (creating or participating in an extremist formation), and was sentenced to 5 years in a general-regime correctional colony. He was included in the Ministry of Interior’s «List of citizens involved in extremist activities.» On April 19, 2023, he was transferred to prison-regime conditions. In October 2025, Yauhen received an additional year of imprisonment under Art. 411 (malicious disobedience to prison administration).
While inprisoned, Yauhen wrote a number of poems and stories, published in his collection «Bread Crumbs.»
Mailing address: Penal Colony No. 14. 222125, Minsk region, Borisov district, Novosady, ul. Mira, 1A
3. Artiom Salavei was a participant in the «Food Not Bombs» initiative. He was sentenced to 5 years in a correctional colony under Art. 342 (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them) and Art. 361-1 (creating or participating in an extremist formation). In August 2022, the Ministry of Interior placed him on the «List of citizens involved in extremist activities.»
On October 27, 2025, he was sentenced to an additional year of imprisonment for malicious disobedience to prison administration (Part 1 of Art. 411 of the Criminal Code).
Mailing address: Penal Colony No. 20, 247755, Gomel region, Mozyr district, Mikhalkovskiy rural council, 70
4. Stanislau Taspayeu is an environmental activist from Myadziel. He engaged with environmental problems in the Myadziel district and surrounding areas — for instance, advocating on tree removal in the Naroch resort area, raising the issue of aging sewage treatment facilities, drawing state authorities’ attention to potential pollution of Lake Naroch, and actively participating in public discussions on environmental, construction, and architectural projects.
In December 2021, he was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment without referral to an open-type correctional facility (i.e., without home confinement conditions). He was charged under Art. 188 of the Criminal Code (defamation).
In 2024, new criminal proceedings were initiated against him under Art. 342-2 (repeated violations of the procedure for organizing or holding mass events) and Art. 369-1 (discrediting the Republic of Belarus).
He was sentenced to 4 years in a general-regime penal colony.
Stanislau has serious health problems.
Address: Penal Colony No. 2. 213800, Bobruisk, ul. Sikorskogo, 1
5. The personality of this political prisoner is not published due to security matters.
Released after completing full sentences
Siarhei Piatrukhin — Brest activist and author of the «People’s Reporter» channel. For several years he campaigned against the construction and launch of a battery factory near Brest. Before the 2020 elections he was part of presidential candidate Sergei Tsikhanousky team. He was detained on June 16, 2020 and sentenced on April 14, 2021 to three years in a general-regime correctional colony under Arts. 342, 369, and 391 of the Criminal Code (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, insulting a government representative, and insulting a judge). Released on December 17, 2022.
Aliaksandr Kabanau — prominent Brest activist and opponent of the battery factory construction near Brest. He served as press secretary for presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya campaign committee and authored the «People’s Reporter» channel. On April 14, 2021, he was sentenced to three years of imprisonment under Arts. 342 and 369 of the Criminal Code (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, insulting a government representative). Released on December 17, 2022.
Viktar Fianchuk — ornithologist, conservation project manager, and former director of the conservation organization «Akhova Ptushak Batskaushchyny» (APB – Birdlife Belarus). He received 2.5 years in a correctional colony under Art. 342 of the Criminal Code (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, or active participation in them). Released on September 29, 2023.
Pavel Nazdra — activist of the «Green Patrol» movement in Mozyr. He participated in a campaign against the leasing of the Pripyat River and floodplain lakes in the Mozyr district, initiated the creation of an animal welfare society and a temporary shelter for homeless animals in Mozyr, and organized local cleanup actions («Zrobim»). He was sentenced to 2 years in a correctional colony under Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code (facilitating extremist activity). Released on January 26, 2024.
Sviatlana Karol — cycling activist from Gomel, former chair of the regional public association «VeloGomel.» She promoted cycling culture in Gomel, organized the «Lady on a Bicycle» initiative, and participated in car-free days. She was charged under Part 2 of Art. 367 (defamation of Lukashenko involving accusations of committing a serious crime) and Part 1 of Art. 130 (deliberate incitement of social hostility). On March 28, 2024, Sviatlana was sentenced to one and a half years in a general-regime correctional colony. She was released on November 9, 2024, having served her full sentence.
Aliaksandr Bialou — a participant in the «Food Not Bombs» initiative and the charitable project «Kalilaska» (sentenced to 5 years; his term was subsequently extended by an additional six months). In early May 2026, he was released having served his sentence in full.
Political prisoners completed «restricted freedom» sentences
They were sentenced to restriction of freedom without referral to an open-type correctional institution — a form of punishment involving mandatory compliance with certain conditions and obligations.
Sniazhana Inanets— a journalist who devoted significant attention to environmental topics in her work. On January 13, 2023, she was sentenced to 2 years of «restricted freedom»
Ihar Khmara — local historian, journalist, cycling activist, and member of the Minsk Cycling Society. On November 11, 2022, he was sentenced to 2.5 years of «restricted freedom» On January 20, 2023, the Ministry of Interior placed him on the «List of citizens of Belarus, foreign nationals, or stateless persons involved in extremist activities.»
Maksim Puchynski — deputy director of the Minsk Cycling Society, specialist in cycling infrastructure. On March 9, 2023, he was sentenced to 2.5 years of «restricted freedom»
Released by Pardon
Released and forcibly removed from Belarus in 2025:
Dzmitry Kuchuk — former chairman of the Belarusian Green Party. On February 16, 2024, he was detained while trying to honor the memory of Alexei Navalny near the Russian embassy in Minsk by laying flowers. He was charged under Arts. 342 and 361 of the Criminal Code (organizing and preparing actions that grossly violate public order, and calling for actions aimed at harming Belarus’s national security). On December 24, 2024, he was sentenced to 6 years in a general-regime correctional colony. He was added to the KGB’s list of terrorists and to the list of those involved in extremist activities. On September 11, 2025, he was released and forcibly transferred to Lithuania.
Yauhen Merkis — public activist from Gomel who worked on urban and environmental issues. He also worked as a journalist, covering the protests that followed Belarus’s 2020 presidential elections. He was detained on September 13, 2022, and charged under Art. 361-1 (creating or participating in an extremist formation) and Art. 361-4 (facilitating extremist activity). His trial was held behind closed doors. On May 30, 2023, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to four years in an enhanced-regime correctional colony. On September 11, 2025, he was released and forcibly transferred to Lithuania.
Andrei Kuznechyk — cycling activist, author of the blog «BielaVela: about bicycles — in Belarusian,» and freelance journalist for Radio Svaboda. In 2022, he was sentenced to 6 years in an enhanced-regime correctional colony under Art. 361-1 (creating or participating in an extremist formation). On February 12, 2025, he was pardoned and forcibly removed from Belarus to Lithuania. Andrei Kuznechyk was one of three political prisoners released with the assistance of the U.S. Department of State.
Released by pardon in 2024:
Hanna Skryhan — candidate of geographical sciences, former head of the Mogilev branch of the international association «Ecoproject.» She regularly participated in scientific conferences related to ecology and urban studies. At the Belarusian-Russian University she served at various times as associate professor of the «Life Safety» department and as head of the «Roads» department. Hanna was charged with incitement of social hostility under Part 1 of Art. 130 of the Criminal Code. The Mogilev Regional Court, in a closed hearing on August 23, 2023, found her guilty and sentenced her to two years in a general-regime correctional colony. On October 12, 2023, the KGB placed Hanna on its «terrorist list.» She was released by pardon on September 4, 2024.
Barys Kuchynski — a 74-year-old activist from Slonim, known for his long-running campaign for clean water in the city. He collectively appealed to local authorities demanding additional budget funding for the Slonim district in 2014 to bring iron content in drinking water into compliance with standards. He was detained on March 31, 2023, and charged under Art. 369 (insulting a government representative) and Art. 203-1 (unlawful actions relating to private information and personal data), and sentenced to two years in a general-regime correctional colony. He was released by pardon on August 20, 2024.
How to support political prisoners?
You can make a financial contribution through the BYSOL Foundation — an initiative created by Belarusian civil society in response to the violence and repression that followed the 2020 elections. BYSOL provides direct assistance to political prisoners and their families.
You can also support the work of Ecohome, which monitors and documents the persecution of environmental activists in Belarus.
Safety warning!
Please only take action if it is safe for you to do so. Do not use Belarusian or Russian bank cards for any donations. If you are currently in Belarus or Russia, or plan to travel there, do not donate to BYSOL or Ecohome — both organisations have been designated as extremist under Belarusian law, and financial support may result in criminal liability.
