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12 Mar 2026
Belarusian human rights defenders join the PeopleFirst! campaign
Letter from Ales Bialiatski — head of the Belarusian Human Rights Center Viasna, a former political prisoner released in a prisoner exchange at the end of 2025.
After my release at the end of December 2025, I learned about the PeopleFirst! campaign launched by my colleagues from Ukraine and Russia who, like me, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022. Its demand is simple: put people first.
The most important priority in any agreements reached through negotiations must be the release of all prisoners of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Among them are:
- thousands of Ukrainian civilians held by the Russian state;
- thousands of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war held by both sides;
- thousands of Ukrainian children transferred or deported to Russia;
- hundreds of Russian political prisoners deprived of their liberty for protesting against the war.
I join my colleagues in the PeopleFirst! campaign. What unites us is not only many years of joint work, but also the present tragedy of people confronting the terrible Russian aggression.
In the very first days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Belarusians took to the streets in protest.
Arrests, gunshot wounds to the knees, brutal torture and beatings, unbearable conditions of detention, “press cells,” and extremely long prison sentences — this is what hundreds of people in Belarus have faced for their position against Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
According to Viasna, criminal cases for solidarity with Ukraine under various political charges have been initiated against at least 403 people.
Belarusians and foreign nationals are prosecuted for “treason,” “espionage,” and “agent activity” in favor of Ukraine; for the intention to fight on the Ukrainian side; for financial support to Belarusian volunteers fighting in Ukraine and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine; and for acts of sabotage on the railway.
Over the past year, the Belarusian regime has also carried out mass prosecutions in the so-called “Hajun case” — for photos and videos showing the movement of Russian military equipment across Belarusian territory. More than 200 people are currently behind bars in this case. Among those convicted are 71 women. These figures reflect only the cases known to human rights defenders, but the actual number of persecutions may be much higher. Arrests are known to continue regularly to this day.
Another area of repression is the criminalization of financial and even potential assistance: people are prosecuted for donations to Belarusian volunteers and to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as for the intention to join the Kastus Kalinouski Regiment, which in Belarus has been designated a “terrorist organization.”
As a result, any expression of solidarity with Ukraine in Belarus can lead to criminal prosecution and imprisonment.
Ukrainian citizens are also under particular scrutiny by the security services.
According to the Human Rights Center Viasna, at least five Ukrainian citizens are currently serving sentences based on politically motivated verdicts. Ukrainian nationals in Belarus are detained for “agent activity,” “espionage,” and “attempted sabotage.” Through torture and pressure, they are forced to confess to cooperation with foreign intelligence services. In total, since 2020, dozens of Ukrainian citizens have faced criminal prosecution.
I am glad to join the PeopleFirst! campaign and propose adding another demand to it — the release of Belarusian political prisoners deprived of their liberty for protesting against the war.
Ales Bialiatski
The Belarusian human rights defender received a response from Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of the Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine, and Oleg Orlov, Memorial, — the organizations that launched the PeopleFirst! campaign, which has since been joined by dozens of civic initiatives around the world.
On behalf of the PeopleFirst! campaign, we thank Ales Bialiatski, a leading Belarusian human rights defender who received the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize together with our organizations, for his public support of our campaign. We are glad that Ales, our wonderful Belarusian colleague, has joined us.
We fully support his call to expand the work of the PeopleFirst! campaign to include Belarusian citizens imprisoned for their position or actions against the war in Ukraine, as well as Ukrainian citizens imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated charges.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Center for Civil Liberties, and Oleg Orlov, Memorial, on behalf of the PeopleFirst! campaign
