Human Rights in Belarus: Analytical Report 2025-2026

Last updated: 16 September 2026

Photo: Minsk, Belarus - Nigel Swales

Belarus human rights in 2025-2026 remain in the deepest crisis of any European state. Alexander Lukashenko has held power since 1994. The August 2020 protests against the rigged presidential election produced an unprecedented wave of repression. Five years on, the country holds approximately 1,300+ documented political prisoners, has expelled or imprisoned virtually all independent media, banned hundreds of NGOs, and has been formally suspended from the Council of Europe (2022) and ILO (2023). This report sets out the analytical picture for asylum decision-makers.[1]

The evidence base draws on Viasna Human Rights Centre, the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the OSCE Moscow Mechanism Report (2022, 2023), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Article 19, Reporters Without Borders, and Belarus civil society in exile.

Political Context: From 2020 to 2026

Alexander Lukashenko has ruled Belarus since 1994. The 2020 presidential election, in which official results gave Lukashenko 80% against opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's 10%, triggered mass protests across the country. The state response was brutal: tens of thousands detained, documented torture in detention, multiple deaths. The election was not recognised by the EU, UK, US, Canada, and others. Tsikhanouskaya leads an exile-based "Coordination Council." Lukashenko continues with active support from Russia.[2]

The 2020 Aftermath: Five Years On

The post-2020 crackdown has been sustained for five years. Key markers include the following.[3]

• Mass detention — over 50,000 detentions documented during 2020-2021.
• Documented torture — at Okrestina detention centre and many others; OSCE Moscow Mechanism reports.
• Deaths — at least 12 confirmed protest-related deaths; multiple deaths in custody.
• "Extremist" designations — Telegram channels, NGOs, individuals declared extremist en masse.
• Civil society dissolved — over 800 NGOs liquidated by court order.
• Media destruction — virtually all independent outlets closed or forced into exile.
• Mass emigration — estimated 200,000+ Belarusians left for Poland, Lithuania, Georgia, Ukraine.
• Co-belligerent status with Russia in 2022 Ukraine invasion (territory used for attacks).

Political Prisoners

The Viasna Human Rights Centre — itself a designated "extremist" organisation in Belarus, with leader Ales Bialiatski serving 10 years after Nobel Peace Prize 2022 — maintains the most authoritative list. As of April 2026, 1,300+ individuals are recognised as political prisoners. The total who have been prosecuted under political articles since 2020 exceeds 5,000.[4]

Legal Tools of Repression

The Lukashenko government uses a battery of legal provisions to prosecute dissent. The most important include the following.[5]

• Criminal Code Article 357 — "Conspiracy to seize power"; up to life imprisonment.
• Criminal Code Article 361 — "Calls for actions against state security"; up to 12 years.
• Criminal Code Article 361-1 — "Creation of an extremist group"; up to 10 years.
• Criminal Code Article 369 — "Discrediting the Republic of Belarus"; up to 7 years.
• Anti-Extremism Law (2007, amended) — listing of "extremist materials" and "extremist groups."
• "Foreign agent" provisions — modelled on Russian framework.
• Criminal Code Article 130 — "Inciting social hatred"; broad application.

Media Freedom

Independent media in Belarus has been systematically destroyed since 2020. TUT.by (the largest independent outlet), Nasha Niva, Naviny.by, Belsat, RFE/RL Belarus Service, Komsomolskaya Pravda Belarus — all closed by force. Editors and journalists are imprisoned or in exile. Press credentials of all foreign journalists have been revoked. Internet shutdowns and platform blocks supplement legal measures. RSF ranks Belarus 166/180 in 2025.[6]

Death Penalty

Belarus is the only European country that retains and uses the death penalty. The 2022 Criminal Code amendments expanded death penalty applicability to "attempted terrorism" — used against political defendants. Multiple opposition figures face death penalty charges. The European Court of Human Rights cannot review the cases since Belarus is not a Council of Europe member.[7]

Religious Freedom

Religious restrictions have intensified post-2020. The Catholic Church and Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church have faced particular pressure for their role in supporting protests. Several Catholic priests have been expelled or barred from re-entry. Protestant communities face registration challenges. See our companion article on extremism legislation in post-Soviet states.[8]

The Russia Dimension

Belarus's increasing integration with Russia adds dimensions of risk. Belarusian territory has been used for attacks on Ukraine since 2022. Belarusian opposition figures have been deported from Russia to Belarus. Russia-Belarus "Union State" structures coordinate security services. As a result, Belarusian asylum applicants who fled via Russia face dual risks. ECtHR jurisprudence on Russian deportations to Belarus is increasingly developed.[9]

Belarus in 2025-2026 represents the deepest sustained human rights crisis in Europe. The post-2020 repression has consolidated rather than eased. The combination of mass detention, documented torture, destroyed civil society, death penalty applicability, and Russian-aligned security cooperation creates documented risk for many profiles.
UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus, Annual Report 2025

Implications for Asylum Claims

For Belarusian applicants in 2026, refugee protection should be available for documented profiles.[10]

1. 2020 protest participants — particularly those with documented arrest or identification.
2. Independent journalists with documented activity at closed outlets.
3. Coordination Council members and supporters.
4. Trade unionists (BKDP and associated).
5. "Subscribers" to extremist channels with documented administrative or criminal action.
6. Civil society activists from designated "extremist" organisations.
7. Anti-war activists after February 2022.
8. Lawyers who represented political defendants.
9. Family members of opposition figures in exile.
10. Conscientious objectors to Belarusian or co-belligerent military service.

Conclusion

Belarus in 2025-2026 is the deepest human rights crisis in Europe. The post-2020 repression has produced 1,300+ political prisoners, destroyed independent civil society, eliminated free media, and applied the death penalty to political offences. International monitoring bodies have documented patterns repeatedly.

For asylum decision-makers, Belarusian cases involve multiple well-documented profiles. Refugee protection is regularly granted in major jurisdictions. Country expert evidence is essential to translate the systemic pattern into individualised risk analysis.