The Viasna Human Rights Center published the 2025 year-end results in the field of human rights regarding political prisoners in Belarus. According to the center, following the release of 189 former political prisoners, they were forcibly deported from the country and barred from returning home.
As of December 23, 2025, 1,135 political prisoners are held in Belarusian detention facilities: 968 men and 168 women.
Among those behind bars, 34 have difficult family circumstances – single parents and large families, as well as families where both parents are in prison. According to the center, at least 20 families live in prisons.
In 2025, 509 individuals were designated as political prisoners.
Year in Review and the Dynamics of Pardons
Over the year, with support from the United States, 342 people were pardoned. In total, since July 2024, 569 political prisoners have been released through pardons.
Also in 2025, after pardons and abrupt releases from detention facilities, 189 political prisoners were forcibly deported from Belarus.
In 2025, two political prisoners died behind bars – Valentyn Shtermer and Andriy Pidnebennyi.
These data underline the complex and evolving situation with people’s rights in Belarus and the need for continuous monitoring and attention to the fate of political prisoners, their families, and the conditions of detention.