In August 2020, Alyaksandr Lukashenka orchestrated a fraudulent presidential election in Belarus and then presided over a violent crackdown on unprecedented nationwide demonstrations. After jailing or exiling most opposition politicians, human rights defenders, civil society leaders, and independent journalists, the regime moved on to mass criminal prosecutions against ordinary people. Three years later, over 1,400 people officially recognized by Belarusian rights defenders as political prisoners are currently behind bars. The conditions for these political prisoners are dire, and despite international sanctions, the number of political prisoners in Belarus continues to grow. At least five people imprisoned for challenging Lukashenka’s rule have died behind bars since 2020. Freedom House calls on free countries and other democracy advocates to support the efforts of the Belarusian democratic movement to release the political prisoners.

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