About 1,140 political prisoners remain in Belarus – Tikhanovsky

There are currently about 1,140 political prisoners in Belarus.

This was stated by Belarusian opposition figure and former political prisoner Sergei Tikhanovsky in an interview with Ukrinform.

“The repressive machine has not stopped for a moment since the suppression of the 2020 revolution. I rely on data from the human rights organization Viasna Human Rights Centre. Since 2020, between 50,000 and 70,000 people have gone through administrative detentions and arrests lasting 10-15 days, as well as fines and other forms of politically motivated pressure.

As of March 2026, about 1,140 political prisoners remain in Belarus, despite individual pardons,” Tikhanovsky said.

He added that new arrests and politically motivated sentences continue. Not all those convicted under political charges are included in official lists of political prisoners, as some families fear this could worsen their situation.

Tikhanovsky also announced the expected release of another group of political prisoners following a visit by a U.S. delegation to Minsk on March 18.

As reported, on December 13, 2025, Alexander Lukashenko released 123 political prisoners following a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus John Cole.

The meeting was part of an ongoing diplomatic effort aimed at securing the release of political prisoners in Belarus.

U.S. President Donald Trump tasked Cole with seeking the release of more than 1,100 Belarusians currently imprisoned for political or human rights activities, according to human rights groups.

Photo provided by Sergei Tikhanovsky