In summer 2026 the authorities of dictator Aliaksandr Lukashenka kept regularly expanding the list of people “involved in extremist activity.” In June and July alone they added 161 names. In August, according to already published updates, at least 13 more. Across three summer months — at least 174 people. That is according to the human rights centre Viasna.

What this list is

This is the Interior Ministry register of Belarusian and foreign citizens — and stateless persons — “involved in extremist activity.” Being added is more than a label: banking limits, job barriers, travel constraints, and the risk of new criminal cases. Since 2020 the regime has turned “extremism” into a universal tool against dissent — from social-media posts to links with independent media and universities in exile.

By mid-August 2026 the register held nearly 6,800 names. Belsat reported 6,772 after the 10 July update; Mediazona Belarus counted 6,824 after the Friday update of 21 August, when musician Siarhei Mikhalok was among those added.

“No grounds to talk about easing”

Viasna lawyer Pavel Sapelko compares the pace with previous years: summer 2026 saw slightly fewer additions than the monthly averages of 2023 (117) and 2025 (107), but more than 2024 (88). The conclusion is clear: the numbers are not a thaw.

“In the context of ongoing arrests in the ‘Hayun case,’ widespread persecution of people linked to EHU, and the usual crackdown on freedom of expression under Article 130 of the Criminal Code and defamation articles, there are no grounds to talk about easing repression or a return to the rule of law,” Sapelko told Salidarnasts.

A parallel conveyor — “extremist materials”

At the same time the Ministry of Information expands the republican list of “extremist materials.” In late August it included, among other items, the Instagram account of Ukrainian diplomat Yaroslav Chornogor, several Telegram channels and bots, and the song “Nomera” by the band LSP — reported by Belsat and Salidarnasts.

According to a Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty overview citing Human Constanta, in a single quarter of 2026 the “extremist” register grew by about 297 people, while the materials list approached 11,000 entries. For the first time an entire university — the European Humanities University in Vilnius — was labelled an “extremist organisation.” Lukashenka’s regime is widening the hunt beyond prison cells: to education, culture, and everyday online life.

Why it matters

174 names over one summer are not “seasonal statistics” — they are the repression machine still running. While the dictator talks about “stability,” the Interior Ministry adds new surnames every Friday. Fewer than in peak years is still more than in 2024, and it tracks arrests, in-absentia sentences, and pressure on families. The “extremist” list is an infrastructure of fear: a label today, a ban tomorrow, a new criminal case after that.