Katy Walther, a member of the Hessian State Parliament, has taken on the role of political mentor for Aleh Khamenka Belarusian musician sentenced to three years’ imprisonment Katy Walther. Photo: Hessian State Parliament Frankfurt am Main, 11 August 2026 – Katy Walther, a member of the Hessian state parliament (Alliance 90/The Greens), has taken on the political patronage of the imprisoned Belarusian musician Aleh Khamenka. Together with
ISHR at the Letucień Festival in Kraków: €230 raised for Aliaksandra Pulinovich On 1 August, the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) took part in the Belarusian Letucień Festival in Kraków. The main purpose of our participation was to raise awareness of the case of the young Belarusian political prisoner Aliaksandra Pulinovich and to support continued advocacy for her release. Through donations and the sale of solidarity items, we
To mark the Day of Solidarity with Political Prisoners in Belarus on 21 May, the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) is drawing attention to their plight and the systematic use of torture in Belarusian prisons. Foto: Canva Political Prisoners' Day in Belarus Belarus: Over 840 political prisoners – regime conducts nuclear war exercises ISHR calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners Minsk/Frankfurt am Main,
Mikola Dziadok „A free Belarus means a free Europe”“ Bonn, April 11, 2026. Presentation at the Annual General Meeting: Mikola Dziadok is a Belarusian blogger, journalist, and activist who has spent a total of 10 years of his life in prison. After serving his first prison sentence, he was arrested again during the 2020 protests and sentenced to another term of imprisonment. He was finally released in
54th Annual Conference of the ISHR Europe as a guarantor of human rights and peace On 11 and 12 April 2026, the 54th Annual Conference of the ISHR took place in Bonn. Under the guiding theme “Europe as a guarantor of human rights and peace”, members, partners and international guests came together to discuss current developments — in particular the situation of political prisoners, people persecuted
The ISHR’s social media accounts have been classified as ‘extremist material’ in Belarus The human rights organisation is not deterred by this designation and will continue its work on Belarus. In the Republic of Belarus, the long-standing dictator Lukashenko rules with brutal severity and has thousands of people arrested on arbitrary grounds. Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians have left the country since the rigged elections of 2020, whilst thousands more
Andrzej Poczobut The 51-year-old journalist Andrzej Poczobut from Belarus was arrested on 25 March 2021 and sentenced to eight years in prison on 8 February 2023. He is currently held in a high-security penal colony in Navapolatsk. Despite serious health issues, his access to medical care remains limited. Case facts: Date of birth: 16 April 1973 Arrested: 25 March 2021 Sentenced: 8 February 2023 Charges: “Calls for actions aimed at
Belarus has released 123 political prisoners, including leaders of the 2020 protests. Maria Kolesnikova and other released political prisoners, 13 December 2025 COORDINATION HEADQUARTERS FOR THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS OF WAR / AFP / Scanpix / LETA Alexander Lukashenko agreed to this as part of an agreement with US President Donald Trump and at his request, "in connection with the lifting of illegal sanctions against the potash industry." Today, a
About the death of 36-year-old Andrei Podnebenny reported yesterday his mother in the social network Facebook. The cause of death of political prisoner Andrei Podnebennyy in Mahiliou colony No. 15 was suffocation, "Radio Svaboda" reports citing its own source. Other circumstances of the death of the political prisoner are still unknown. Official sources in the security forces have not yet commented on the incident. The death of 36-year-old Andrei Podnebennyi
On 7 August 2025, ISHR Secretary General Matthias Boehning and ISHR President Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Paul Schirrmacher met in Vilnius with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya. They were accompanied by Martin Oliner (ISHR Strategic Advisor), Jed Oliner (ISHR Volunteer Lithuania), Jurgita Samoskiene (ISHR Country Lead Lithuania) and Kristina Trinkūnaitė (Head of Communications, Caritas Lithuania). Together, they discussed the current situation of the Belarusian diaspora in Europe and the challenges