Belarus: political prisoners as of 7 April 2026 — the number, the trend, high-profile cases

The human rights centre Viasna and partners maintain the count of political prisoners in an open database; updates appear on spring96.org and on Telegram @viasna96.

How many people, and how the figure has moved

After the mass pardon on 19 March 2026, when about 250 people from those persecuted for political motives left detention, Viasna recorded 897 political prisoners — for the first time in more than four years below the 900 mark. Rights defenders warned at the same time: trials and detentions had not stopped; unless repression halts, the list will climb again.

On 26 March Viasna recognised 12 more people as political prisoners. According to Nasha Niva, that brought the public list to 910 in total (see spring96.org for detail).

7 April 2026: 17 more people

On 7 April 2026 Belarusian human rights groups issued a joint statement (Viasna, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Lawtrend, Belarusian Association of Journalists, Legal Initiative). It recognised 17 more people as political prisoners (names as in Viasna’s and outlets’ lists — e.g. Palaznik, the Kavalenka family members, Pustakhod, Yankovich, and others; see REFORM.news / Nasha Niva for the full list).

According to the signatories, these people were detained or convicted in connection with contact with “extremist formations” and exercising freedom of expression.

As of 7 April 2026, 922 people were recognised as political prisoners in Belarus (figure from Viasna’s summary that day; recheck the current line on spring96.org when you publish).

Over roughly the past month — cases that made the news

• On 4 March Minsk City Court sentenced musician, researcher and radio host Aleh Khomenka to 3 years for cooperation with Radio Racyja (Nasha Niva).
• On 19 March Minsk City Court sentenced eight women to up to 10 years in a penal colony in the “courtyard chats” case (Radio Svoboda).
• Holy Week and Easter in detention were spent by parish priest Anatol Parakhnevich in Alkovichi, Vileyka district (Nasha Niva).
• Hleb Rybchenko, a 31-year-old IT specialist linked in reports to Wargaming / Lesta, faced heavy charges; open sources after review cite 14 years in a maximum-security colony (confirm against the final judgment).
• The arrest of civic activist and father of many children Viktar Yavumenka was reported by Nasha Niva (see also his inclusion in the 17 names of 7 April).
• Lithuanian citizen Miroslavas Trotskis was sentenced to 15 years in a maximum-security colony on espionage and related charges (DissidentBY and follow-up reports).

Bottom line

Against the large March release, the 897 figure briefly dipped below 900, but new recognitions and trials quickly pushed the count back up: 910, then 922 by 7 April. This is not steady “normalisation” but a revolving door: some leave detention, others are taken in. The month’s high-profile threads — Radio Racyja, courtyard chats, a priest at Easter, an IT case, and a foreign national on espionage charges — set the pace of public attention.