Belarus: Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners – ISHR demands the immediate release of all political prisoners

While the Lukashenko regime conducts new tactical nuclear weapon exercises jointly with Russia, hundreds of political prisoners continue to be held under inhumane conditions in Belarusian penal colonies. On the occasion of the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus on May 21, the ISHR is drawing attention to their plight and the systematic use of torture in Belarusian prisons. Representing the many young people in detention, the ISHR highlights the case of 19-year-old Aliaksandra Pulinovich from Minsk.

Aliaksandra Pulinovich, who planned to study veterinary medicine after graduation, was only 16 years old and in her final year of school when she was arrested in January 2024. One and a half years later, she was sentenced to 10 years and 3 months in a penal colony for alleged involvement in an anarchist group. Five other young people were arrested alongside her.

“The case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich clearly shows how young people in Belarus are criminalized and intimidated with draconian sentences. This is how a regime that is highly unpopular among youth attempts to secure its future,” said Valerio Krüger, Speaker of the Board.

Systematic Intimidation of Dissidents

Political prisoners in Belarus are deliberately isolated, pressured, and worn down through inhumane detention conditions, as former political prisoner Mikola Dziadok recently reported in a conversation with the ISHR. The goal is not merely punishment, but the intentional degradation and intimidation of citizens critical of the regime. According to the Belarusian human rights center “Viasna”, at least 848 political prisoners are currently detained. Since 2020, thousands of people have been tortured, and at least 8,000 criminal proceedings have been initiated against alleged “extremists.”

The ISHR demands the immediate and unconditional release of all 848 Belarusian political prisoners. The systematic use of torture in Belarusian prisons, as well as the Lukashenko regime’s willingness to support Russia in its criminal war, must be meticulously documented at an international level, and those responsible must be held accountable.