At Least 22 Foreign Nationals Are Imprisoned in Belarus on Political Grounds — Human Rights Defenders

The Viasna Human Rights Centre reported that as of 20 January, at least 22 foreign nationals convicted on political grounds are being held in detention in Belarus.

Since 2020, at least 100 foreign citizens have been convicted under politically motivated articles. At present, 61 foreign nationals have the status of “former political prisoners”. At least 29 foreign nationals have been pardoned and expelled from Belarus.

Those currently imprisoned include citizens of Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, France, Latvia and Poland. They are accused of “agent activity”, “espionage”, “promotion of extremist activity”, “calls for sanctions”, “participation in actions that grossly violate public order”, “discrediting Belarus”, “terrorist acts”, and even “international terrorism”.