Tsikhanouskaya Outlines Six Tools Used to Persecute Belarusians Abroad

Reform.news Editorial Team · 14 October 2026, 20:58

https://reform.news/en/tsikhanouskaya-outlines-six-tools-used-to-persecute-belarusians-abroad/

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya outlined six tools used to persecute Belarusians abroad. She made the remarks on October 14 at an event in Warsaw held as part of the OSCE Warsaw Human Dimension Conference, the Office of the Belarusian democratic leader reported.

The speech took place during a meeting titled “Transnational Repression by Lukashenka’s Regime: The Need for a Coordinated International Response.” Tsikhanouskaya’s legal adviser, Leanid Marozau, also took part. Two new reports were presented at the meeting: an iSANS study on the evolution of transnational repression and a report titled “Wanted by Dictator: Red Notice State,” prepared by Tsikhanouskaya’s Office jointly with BELPOL, with support from Cyber Partisans.

Tsikhanouskaya listed six tools that, she said, are used to put pressure on Belarusians abroad.

The first is placing journalists, activists, and human rights defenders on “extremist” and “terrorist” lists. This can be used to create problems when crossing borders, obtaining visas, and opening bank accounts.

The second is putting pressure on relatives who remain in Belarus. Security forces may detain family members to force people abroad to cooperate or take certain actions, the politician noted.

The third tool is trials in absentia, in which people are tried without being present. The resulting sentences may also involve the confiscation of property.

The fourth is denying people the ability to obtain and renew documents abroad, making it harder for them to regularize their status and creating additional difficulties when dealing with migration authorities.

The fifth is the use of Interpol and international wanted-person mechanisms. Political persecution may be presented as a criminal case in an effort to secure international searches for Belarusians and their extradition.

The sixth is digital threats, with bots, trolls, and regime agents infiltrating online communities, threatening people, and disrupting their work.

Tsikhanouskaya called on international partners to put the issue of transnational repression on their agendas and strengthen cooperation with the Belarusian democratic movement, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations.

“Countering transnational repression requires full coordination,” she said.