Maksim ZNAK
Andrzej POCZOBUT
A board member of the Union of Poles in Belarus, Andrzej Poczobut continued to be held in solitary confinement, serving an eight-year prison term in connection with his coverage of 2020 anti-government protests in Belarus…
Uladzimir MACKIEVIČ
Aliaksandr FIADUTA
Ales BIALIATSKI
Writer, PEN Belarus member, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski continued to serve a 10-year prison sentence in a medium-security penal colony in Horki – a facility known for inmates being beaten and subjected to hard labour…
Akram AYLISLI
Writer, poet, and playwright Akram Aylisli continued to face charges of resisting the authorities with violence under Article 315.1 of the Criminal Code, which provides for up to three years in prison…
Kaciaryna ANDREJEVA (BACHVAŁAVA)
Journalist, writer and poet, Kaciaryna Andrejeva (real name Bachvałava) was arrested in Minsk in November 2020 while livestreaming a peaceful protest and sentenced to two years in prison in…
Julian ASSANGE
Wikileaks founder and publisher Julian Assange was released from detention on 24 June 2024. Assange returned to his home country of Australia following a plea deal with US prosecutors, after spending 1,901 days behind bars in Belmarsh High Security prison, London…
Lyra MCKEE
Volodymyr VAKULENKO
No one was brought to justice for the killing of Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Vakulenko during the year. However, in May 2024, the human rights initiative Truth Hounds published a detailed investigation into his murder, alleging broader involvement from the Russian Federation’s Federal Security Service (FSB)…
