We carry on because we feel your support. Viasna is all of us.

Thank you for staying with us!

🕊 Support our work - donate.spring96.org/en/

Today, Viasna is:
💙 A hotline and legal assistance;
💙 Lists of political prisoners and documenting the truth;
💙 Support for those affected by the regime;
💙 Information and advocacy work;
💙 The voice of Belarus in the world.

🌸 Viasna is 30!

From food parcels for detainees to the Nobel Peace Prize. We have endured raids, arrests, and attempts to destroy us, but we remain faithful to our mission.

❗ Today, there are +9 political prisoners in #Belarus

There are 884 political prisoners in total
prisoners.spring96.org/en

#FreeThemAll

According to preliminary information, Uladzimir Tseliapun was taken into custody several days ago. The exact reasons and legal grounds for his detention remain unknown.

Uladzimir is well-known in the region for his work in defending human rights, including the right to peaceful assembly.

🗣️ What do UN experts say

The experts stressed that the legislation misleadingly links legitimate expression with criminal conduct such as paedophilia, reinforcing stigma and hostility. They warned that the law’s vague and overly-broad wording could enable arbitrary enforcement.

❓ What happened

On April 2, Belarus introduced an article to the Code of Administrative Offenses that prohibits the “distribution, in any form” of information aimed at shaping positive perceptions of same-sex relations, gender transition, voluntary childlessness.

❗ UN experts alarmed by law targeting LGBT, women’s rights advocates and independent voices in #Belarus

👏 Ales Bialiatski came to the Nobel Prize Museum in Stockholm to talk about the current situation in Belarus, the remaining political prisoners and what the international community can actually do.

During the visit, Ales signed a chair, a long-standing tradition for the laureates.
📸 Anders Mattsson

Ales Bialiatski: "The exchange will be endless if the repression does not stop"

Viasna delegation led by Ales Bialiatski took part in a meeting with deputies of the Swedish Riksdag.

The meeting with the deputies was organized by Ostgruppen
and the Right Livelihood.

📸Photos: Anders Mattsson

❗Coalition of Belarusian human rights organizations calls on the Lukashenka regime to end the practice of arbitrarily declaring the passports of deported political prisoners invalid and to ensure their restoration.

Full statement 👉 spring96.org/en/news/120014

🚫 Chat groups for relatives of prisoners in almost all Belarusian detention centers and colonies designated as an "extremist formation"

❗ Now, thousands of people face the threat of criminal prosecution and up to 7 years in prison.

👉 spring96.org/en/news/120009

Ales Bialiatski, Right Livelihood Award and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, visits Stockholm in April for a conversation about the situation in #Belarus.

📍 Nobel Prize Museum, Stockholm
🗓 April 15, 2026, 18:00-20:00

The event will be in Swedish.
Register at rsvp@rightlivelihood.org.

❤️ Current FIDH Vice-Presidents and FIDH President Alexis Deswaef welcomed the release of Viasna human rights defenders Valiantsin Stefanovic and Marfa Rabkova.

Valiantsin was twice elected to the position of Vice-President, serving from 2019 to 2025.

Viasna has been an FIDH member since 2004.

❗️ Regime has annulled the passport of Ales Bialiatski

It has been revealed that the passport of Ales Bialiatski, founder of Viasna and #NobelPeacePrize laureate, has been declared invalid. The document was originally valid until 2028.

Ales Bialiatski considers this decision arbitrary and illegal.

👀 On March 31, a court in #Belarus designated the Instagram page of the FIDH - International Federation for Human Rights as "extremist materials." The account has more than 12,500 followers.

Additionally, LIBERECO account on Threads was also added to the list of extremist materials.

❗️ Human rights defender Uladzimir Labkovich's passport declared invalid

Despite the document being valid until 2027, it has been officially annulled.

Viasna is aware of other political prisoners in a similar situation who were deported from #Belarus in September and December of last year.

❗ UN #HRC61 extends mandates of Group of Independent Experts and Special Rapporteur on #Belarus for one year

Full Report of the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus here - docs.un.org/en/A/HRC/61/57

Court in Mahilioŭ labeled the website with the name BBC NEWS RUSSIAN SERVICE with the address bbc.сом as "extremist" in #Belarus. Note that the BBC Russian Service is located at bbc.com/russian, therefore, inclusion in the "extremist list" of bbc.сом means that the entire BBC website is "extremist".

2/2 "The authorities understood this as well — that such solidarity and attention help political prisoners. So they did everything possible to stop it. The letters stopped. Then people began to be imprisoned for sending money."

spring96.org/en/news/119881

✊ How the world supported Valiantsin Stefanovic behind bars

"In 2021, I received a lot of letters from all over the country, and from abroad. I also remember a package with chocolate from a German woman named Susanne. Sadly, I never received it — but it still meant a lot. I am very grateful."

✊ March 25 is Freedom Day in #Belarus

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Viasna chairperson Ales Bialiatski spoke about how he marked this day behind bars.

❗As of today, at least 889 political prisoners remain behind bars.
#FreeThemAll

Belarus: Valiantsin Stefanovic and Marfa Rabkova are finally free! The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) welcomes the long awaited release of Human Rights Center Viasna members Valiantsin Stefanovic (…)

On 19 March 2026, 250 prisoners were released in #Belarus, including Viasna members Marfa Rabkova and Valiantsin Stefanovic, and human rights defender Nasta Loika.

FIDH calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all those still detained.

www.fidh.org/en/region/eu...

✊ Valiantsin Stefanovic: "I will continue my human rights work"

He also thanked everyone for their support and said he had truly felt it.
The human rights defender spent 1709 days in detention.

spring96.org/en/news/119858

⚡️⚡️⚡️250 prisoners released

15 of them deported, 235 will remain in #Belarus

⚡️Nasta Loika is free! ⚡️

Human rights defender and co-founder of Human Constanta, Nasta Loika, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for her peaceful human rights activities.
After more than 3 years behind bars, Nasta has been released and immediately forcibly removed from Belarus.
#FreeThemAll

⚡️Valiantsin Stefanovic is free! ⚡️

The deputy chairperson of Viasna spent over 4 years and 8 months in prison for his peaceful work. He was sentenced to 9 years in prison along with his colleagues from Viasna, Ales Bialiatski and Uladzimir Labkovich, who were released on December 13, 2025.

⚡️ Marfa Rabkova is free! ⚡️

The coordinator of Viasna’s volunteer service was sentenced to almost 15 years in prison for her peaceful work. In the end, she spent 5.5 years in prison.

Immediately after release, she was taken to Lithuania.

#FreeViasna #FreeThemAll

#NobelPrize winner and head of Viasna Ales Bialiatski commented in an interview with @rferl.org.web.brid.gy on the opening of the International Criminal Court's investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Lukashenka regime since 2020.

Text interview - www.rferl.org/a/nobel-laur...

⚡ Ales Bialiatski: "Millions of people who protested in 2020 still believe in a democratic and European future for their country."

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski is currently visiting Prague. He met with Czech President Petr Pavel, teams at Radio Free Europe, People in Need.