That is the number of political prisoners in Belarus men and women imprisoned not for crimes of violence, not for acts of terrorism, but for the peaceful exercise of rights that every democratic government in the world claims to uphold. Journalists. Activists.
Lawyers. Cultural workers. IT specialists. Ordinary people who chose, at enormous personal risk, to oppose a regime that has responded to that opposition with handcuffs, prison cells, and in some cases, conditions severe enough to constitute a genuine threat to life.
And that number is not static. New political prisoners in Belarus are being detained every single week.
Finn Stands for Rights FINNRIGHT International has reviewed the situation on the ground, assessed the available documentation, and reached a conclusion that admits no diplomatic softening: the crisis of political prisoners in Belarus is a systematic, sustained, and ongoing campaign of repression and it demands an immediate and unambiguous international response.
The organisation is calling for the immediate release of three named Belarusian journalists whose cases exemplify the broader crisis: Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ. It is simultaneously calling for the release of all 845 political prisoners in Belarus and it is addressing that call directly to Alexander Lukashenka, the President of Belarus, whose government is responsible for every one of those imprisonments.
Political Prisoners in Belarus: Who Are Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Aliaksandraŭ?
Three Journalists. Three Cases. One Pattern of Repression.
Before the legal frameworks and the international obligations, there are three human beings at the centre of the political prisoners in Belarus crisis three journalists whose imprisonment FINNRIGHT International has formally documented and whose release it is demanding without condition or delay.
Ihar Ilyash is a Belarusian journalist whose professional work reporting on political developments in Belarus has been criminalised by a regime that treats accurate reporting as a threat to its survival. He is among the political prisoners in Belarus. He has not been freed. And the legal basis for his detention does not meet any standard recognised by international human rights law.
Dzianis Ivashyn is a Belarusian journalist and investigative reporter whose work documenting the activities of the Lukashenka regime made him a target. FINNRIGHT International has confirmed through its own review that his imprisonment is a direct consequence of his journalism — and that he is, under the precise legal definition established by international standards, a prisoner of conscience and one of the most prominent political prisoners in Belarus.
Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ is a Belarusian journalist whose case FINNRIGHT International has formally reviewed and confirmed as one more documented example of a government turning its own legal infrastructure into an instrument of silence deploying courts, prosecutors, and detention facilities not to deliver justice, but to remove from public life the journalists and voices it finds most threatening.the apparatus of the state, including its courts, its prosecutors, and its prison system, to silence those who report the truth about political prisoners in Belarus and the broader reality of life under authoritarian rule.
All three men are journalists. All three are political prisoners in Belarus. None of them should be.
Political Prisoners in Belarus: The Full Scale of the Crisis
845 Detained. 22 Media Workers. 122 at Heightened Risk.
The cases of Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Aliaksandraŭ are not isolated. They are three cases within a crisis of extraordinary scale a crisis that FINNRIGHT International has formally assessed and that the available data confirms in terms that cannot be disputed.
As of the most recent available figures, the documented reality of political prisoners in Belarus is as follows:
- More than 845 political prisoners in Belarus are currently behind bars imprisoned for peaceful opposition to the Lukashenka regime
- New political prisoners in Belarus are being detained every single week meaning that 845 is not a peak but an ongoing and growing reality
- 22 imprisoned media workers are currently among the political prisoners in Belarus journalists, editors, bloggers, and online activists whose only crime was reporting and commenting on Belarusian political reality
- 122 political prisoners in Belarus are considered to be at heightened risk due to serious health conditions, advanced age, or the particular harshness of their detention conditions a figure that FINNRIGHT International regards as requiring immediate humanitarian intervention
Furthermore, the political prisoners in Belarus represent a cross-section of Belarusian civil society that reveals the true scope of the regime’s campaign of repression:
- Journalists and media workers targeted for reporting
- Activists targeted for organising peaceful protest
- Cultural workers targeted for artistic expression that questioned the regime
- Lawyers targeted for providing legal defence to those the regime wished to silence
- IT specialists targeted for providing technical support to democratic movements
- Ordinary citizens targeted for social media posts, shared articles, and public commentary
FINNRIGHT International regards the breadth of this list as significant — because it confirms that the crisis of political prisoners in Belarus is not a targeted campaign against a specific political faction. It is a systematic attempt to destroy the infrastructure of Belarusian civil society itself.
Political Prisoners in Belarus: The Legal Framework Being Violated
Belarus’s Obligations Are Clear and They Are Being Systematically Ignored
The imprisonment of 845 political prisoners in Belarus does not occur in a legal vacuum. Belarus is a state party to multiple binding international human rights instruments instruments whose provisions are being violated, systematically and continuously, by the Lukashenka government.
FINNRIGHT International has identified the following specific legal violations in its assessment of political prisoners in Belarus:
Freedom of Expression Is Being Criminalised Under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which Belarus is a state party every person has the right to freedom of expression. The imprisonment of 22 media workers among the political prisoners in Belarus for the exercise of this right is a direct and documented violation of this obligation.
Arbitrary Detention of Political Prisoners in Belarus Is Absolutely Prohibited Under Article 9 of the ICCPR, no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention. The detention of 845 political prisoners in Belarus many held under charges that no independent legal system would recognise as legitimate constitutes mass arbitrary detention on a scale that demands urgent international response.
The Right to a Fair Trial Is Being Denied Under Article 14 of the ICCPR, every person is entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent, and impartial tribunal. The trials of political prisoners in Belarus are not legal proceedings. They are instruments of political suppression conducted by courts that have been systematically stripped of their independence.
The 122 Political Prisoners in Belarus at Heightened Risk Require Immediate Humanitarian Response Under Article 10 of the ICCPR, all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and respect for their inherent dignity. The 122 political prisoners in Belarus identified by FINNRIGHT International as being at heightened risk are not receiving treatment that meets this standard and their lives may be directly at risk as a result.
Political Prisoners in Belarus: The Lukashenka Regime’s Unbroken Pattern of Repression
No Meaningful Change. New Arrests Every Week. The Pattern Is Documented.
FINNRIGHT International’s assessment of the Lukashenka regime’s conduct confirms what international human rights monitors have been documenting for years: there has been no meaningful change in the policies producing political prisoners in Belarus. None.
Following the 2020 presidential election widely regarded by international observers as fraudulent the Lukashenka regime launched a campaign of repression against those who challenged its legitimacy. That campaign has not ended. It has continued, week by week, arrest by arrest, to produce new political prisoners in Belarus from every corner of civil society.
The specific pattern confirmed by FINNRIGHT International’s review includes:
- Systematic targeting of journalists including the three named in this article whose reporting contradicted the regime’s official narrative
- Prosecution under vague and overbroad laws that criminalise peaceful expression, association, and assembly
- Use of the prison system as an instrument of intimidation designed not only to silence political prisoners in Belarus but to deter anyone considering speaking out
- Deliberate denial of medical care to prisoners with serious health conditions constituting cruel and inhuman treatment under international law
- Continued new arrests every week confirming that the production of political prisoners in Belarus is not a campaign winding down but one that remains in full operation
Political Prisoners in Belarus: A Direct Appeal to Alexander Lukashenka
The President of Belarus Holds the Power to End This Crisis
FINNRIGHT International is making a direct and formal appeal to Alexander Lukashenka, President of Belarus the person who holds, in his own hands, the power to end the crisis of political prisoners in Belarus.
FINNRIGHT International formally requests that President Lukashenka take immediate, concrete, and verifiable steps to:
- End all arbitrary detentions producing political prisoners in Belarus without further delay
- Release all 845 political prisoners in Belarus beginning with those at heightened risk due to health conditions and age
- Immediately free journalists Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ
- Guarantee the safety and medical care of the 122 political prisoners in Belarus currently at heightened risk
- End the practice of weekly new arrests of political opponents, journalists, and civil society members
This is not a political demand. It is a humanitarian one. And FINNRIGHT International will continue to make it publicly, persistently, and without relenting until every political prisoner in Belarus is free.
Political Prisoners in Belarus: FINNRIGHT International’s Full Demands
Immediate, Unconditional, and Non-Negotiable
Finn Stands for Rights FINNRIGHT International is issuing the following formal demands regarding political prisoners in Belarus:
- The immediate and unconditional release of journalists Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ
- The immediate release of all 845 political prisoners in Belarus
- Priority humanitarian release of the 122 political prisoners in Belarus at heightened risk
- Immediate end to the weekly detention of new political prisoners in Belarus
- Full compliance by the Belarusian government with its obligations under the ICCPR and all other binding international human rights instruments
- Independent international monitoring of all Belarusian detention facilities by UN Special Procedures and the International Committee of the Red Cross
“Finn Right International calls for the immediate release of Belarusian journalists Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ, as well as all political prisoners in Belarus. We hope that President Lukashenka will seriously consider this request and take immediate steps to end all arbitrary detentions and release those unjustly imprisoned.”
Political Prisoners in Belarus: The International Community Must Act
Europe, the UN, and Every Democratic Government Must Respond
FINNRIGHT International is taking its formal demands on political prisoners in Belarus directly to every global institution that holds the diplomatic authority, the legal mandate, and the moral responsibility to act and it is not accepting silence as a response.
The European Union The EU has already imposed sanctions on Belarus following the fraudulent 2020 election. Those sanctions must be maintained and strengthened and the EU must continue to formally raise the cases of Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, Andrej Aliaksandraŭ, and all 845 political prisoners in Belarus in every relevant diplomatic forum.
The United Nations The UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus must continue to document and publicly report on political prisoners in Belarus and the UN Human Rights Council must maintain its formal engagement with Belarus’s human rights record until all political prisoners are released.
The Council of Europe and OSCE The Council of Europe and the OSCE must continue to apply pressure through every available mechanism until the Lukashenka regime ends its campaign of producing political prisoners in Belarus every single week.
How to Help Political Prisoners in Belarus: Five Actions You Can Take Right Now
845 Political Prisoners in Belarus Need Your Voice
Step 1 Say their names. Share this article. Say the names Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ on social media. Use the hashtags #FreeBelarus and #FreeBelarusianJournalists.
Step 2 Contact your elected representative. Write to your member of parliament or EU representative. Ask what position your government is taking on political prisoners in Belarus. Demand a public response.
Step 3 Support FINNRIGHT International’s campaign. Visit finnright.fi and follow the campaign for the release of all political prisoners in Belarus. Sign their petition. Share their statements.
Step 4 Contact international human rights bodies. Write to the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus and the UN Human Rights Council. Reference political prisoners in Belarus and the specific cases of Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Aliaksandraŭ.
Step 5 Support organisations working on Belarus. Viasna Human Rights Centre, Reporters Without Borders, and Belarus Free Theatre are documenting and responding to the crisis of political prisoners in Belarus. Supporting them amplifies the pressure for change.
A Closing Thought: 845 Political Prisoners in Belarus Are Waiting
FINNRIGHT International reviewed the data. It assessed the legal framework. It documented the cases. And its conclusion is simple, clear, and non-negotiable:
845 political prisoners in Belarus are behind bars for doing nothing more than speaking, writing, organising, and believing that their country deserves better. Among them are Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ three journalists whose names must be spoken, whose cases must be pressed, and whose freedom must be demanded until it is delivered.
President Lukashenka has the power to end this. The international community has the leverage to demand that he does. And FINNRIGHT International will not stop making that demand week by week, case by case, name by name until every one of those 845 political prisoners in Belarus walks free.
FAQs:
Q1. How many political prisoners are currently detained in Belarus? According to figures formally documented by FINNRIGHT International and confirmed by Viasna Human Rights Centre, more than 845 political prisoners in Belarus are currently behind bars with new political prisoners being detained by the Lukashenka regime every single week, meaning this number continues to grow.
Q2. Who are Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Aliaksandraŭ? Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Valerievich Aliaksandraŭ are three Belarusian journalists formally identified by FINNRIGHT International as prisoners of conscience imprisoned solely for their professional journalism work and their peaceful opposition to the Lukashenka regime, without any legal justification recognised under international human rights law.
Q3. Why are political prisoners in Belarus considered to be at heightened risk? FINNRIGHT International’s review has confirmed that 122 of the 845 political prisoners in Belarus are at heightened risk due to serious health conditions, advanced age, or particularly harsh detention conditions with the Belarusian government deliberately denying adequate medical care in ways that FINNRIGHT regards as constituting cruel and inhuman treatment under international law.
Q4. What is FinnRight International demanding from President Lukashenka regarding political prisoners in Belarus? FINNRIGHT International is formally and directly requesting that President Alexander Lukashenka immediately release all 845 political prisoners in Belarus beginning with journalists Ihar Ilyash, Dzianis Ivashyn, and Andrej Aliaksandraŭ end all arbitrary detentions, guarantee medical care for the 122 prisoners at heightened risk, and permanently stop the weekly arrests of journalists, activists, and civil society members.
Q5. What can ordinary people do to help free political prisoners in Belarus? Anyone who believes in freedom of expression and human rights can act right now share this article using the hashtags #FreeBelarus and #FreeBelarusianJournalists, contact their elected representatives demanding a public government response on political prisoners in Belarus, support FINNRIGHT International’s campaign, write directly to the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, and support ground-level organisations including Viasna Human Rights Centre and Reporters Without Borders.
TAKE ACTION NOW
| Action | Link |
|---|---|
| Viasna Human Rights Centre | spring96.org |
| Reporters Without Borders Belarus | rsf.org |
| UN Special Rapporteur Belarus | ohchr.org |
| Follow FINNRIGHT Campaign | finnright.fi |
| EU Sanctions Belarus | consilium.europa.eu |
| UN Human Rights Council | ohchr.org |
Read how FinnRight International is demanding the immediate release of political prisoners in Belarus and fighting for imprisoned journalists detained by the Lukashenka regime every single week.
