4. Treatment of selected profiles and groups of the population

4.1. Political opponents, including perceived political opponents

Authorities initiate legal proceedings against political opponents, including those perceived as challenging ‘the conduct of the elections.’437 Prosecution heavily relies on criminal provisions on extremism and participation in or cooperation with organisations deemed extremist, with the situation remaining ‘essentially unchanged’ since 2020.438

In May 2024, the Investigative Committee initiated criminal proceedings against participants in the elections to the Coordination Council, a ‘proto-parliament’ established in 2020 and by the Belarusian opposition in exile supporting Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya as the leader of Belarusian democratic forces.439 All 257 participants in the elections were labelled as ‘representatives of 12 extremist formations’ and faced criminal charges, for ‘conspiracy to seize State power’, creation of an extremist formation, and aiding extremist activities.440 In January 2025, four activists associated with the election observation initiative Honest People441 were sentenced in absentia to prison sentences ranging from eight to ten years442 for the creation of an extremist formation, insulting the President, inciting hatred, slander, discrediting Belarus, and calling for sanctions against the authorities.443

The authorities punish active and public support of structured opposition and solidarity groups, including any financial support.444 Since 2021, the authorities prosecute individuals involved in the Peramoha Plan (‘Victory Plan’), a Telegram chatbot445 created to mobilise protesters by providing them with a set of actions.446 The project was designated as extremist formation in November 2021, which entails criminal liability for both its creators, who are based in exile, and participants.447

In an interview with the EUAA, a human rights specialist noted that individuals perceived as not supporting the policies of Lukashenka ‘face a serious risk of persecution.’ According to the source, the determining factor is not whether a person is objectively a political opponent, but whether they are perceived as such by the authorities. This ‘perception-based approach’ results in ‘a broad range of persons’ who may be affected by the prosecution.448 A representative from Human Constanta further noted that the authorities consider anyone who does not openly support the regime as a critic of the government: a public alignment with state policies and activities is expected, and deviation from this may trigger suspicion of being against the authorities. This includes the expected support of the war in Ukraine.449

Individuals who are neither public figures nor activists may come to the attention of authorities through relatively minor expressions of views perceived as critical. Consequently, any public statement, including comments on social media, may be sufficient to attract scrutiny.450 In November 2025, a photographer from Minsk was sentenced to two years in prison for insulting the president,451 reportedly based on a single comment on social media.452 In December 2025, the brother of the abovementioned person,453 an activist from Rechytsa (Rečyca) was sentenced to 10 years in prison after the court found him guilty of treason and participation in extremist activities.454