Rights defenders declare two journalists political prisoners

August 26, Pozirk. The human rights community has recognized journalists Aleh Supruniuk and Pavieł Dabravolski as political prisoners, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) reported.
On August 8, Supruniuk was convicted of membership in an “extremist group” and sentenced to three years in prison. Prior to the trial, he had spent more than six months in a detention center.
On June 4, the Brest Region Prosecutor’s Office submitted a criminal case against Supruniuk to court without disclosing his name. According to the report, prosecutors alleged that “the man had joined the Belarusian Association of Journalists, declared an ‘extremist group’ by the KGB on February 28, 2023.”
As a BAJ member, Supruniuk had written at least 43 articles, prosecutors charged. He also has a hearing disability.
Dabravolski, a former journalist with Naviny.by, the online newspaper of the BelaPAN news agency, was taken into custody in January. It remains unclear what charges he faces.
He previously worked with independent media and covered 2020 postelection protests, during which he was detained and charged with a minor offense. Dabravolski left Belarus in the fall of 2021 but later returned.
According to BAJ, he is being persecuted for “exercising the right to free expression and dissemination of information.”
Brest journalist given three years in prison over alleged BAJ link
- Economy, Politics, SocietyNearly 120,000 Belarusians worked in Poland last year, statisticians sayThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics, Security
- PoliticsEU drafts new sanctions against Russia, BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsCichanoŭskaja’s visit does not mean Ukraine recognizes her as president, envoy saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- SocietyBelarus records spring 2026 at 1.5 C above normalThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsŁukašenka seeks Russian Supreme Court chief’s help on court technologyThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy
- Politics, SocietyOfficial: authorities foiled 100 terrorism and extremism financing cases in 2025The material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, PoliticsPolish businessman fined nearly €5 million for selling luxury cars to Russia via BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsIrregular Belarus-Latvia crossings exceed 500 in first week of JuneThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Politics
- PoliticsOne in five political prisoners in high-risk category, Viasna saysThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsNobel laureate Bialacki registers foundation in PolandThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- PoliticsBelarus opens criminal case against exiled rocker over her political stanceThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Society
- SocietyBelarusian, Pole jailed in Poland for cigarette smugglingThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- SocietyNumber of Belarusian holders of Lithuanian residence permits falls below 49,000The material is available only to POZIRK+
- EconomyRussian businessman Mazepin set to build “small fertilizer plant” in BelarusThe material is available only to POZIRK+
- Economy, PoliticsŁukašenka offers Ghana equipment and trainingThe material is available only to POZIRK+



