Deteriorating situation of political prisoners in Belarus, in particular the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich

European Parliament resolution of 18 June 2026 on the deteriorating situation of political prisoners in Belarus, in particular the case of Aliaksandra Pulinovich (2026/2766(RSP))

The European Parliament,

–having regard to its previous resolutions on Belarus,

–having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.whereas in January 2024, 16-year-old Aliaksandra Pulinovich was detained in the ‘Black Nightingales’ case concerning graffiti opposing Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, placed in a punishment cell and denied legal defence and parental support; whereas she was sentenced to over 10 years’ imprisonment in closed proceedings and subsequently included on a ‘terrorists list’;

B.whereas Pulinovich’s case illustrates the Belarusian authorities’ use of anti-terrorism legislation to criminalise young people for political reasons;

C.whereas the Lukashenka regime systematically represses political opponents, human rights defenders, journalists, trade unionists, students, national minorities and citizens exercising their fundamental freedoms; whereas 853 political prisoners remain arbitrarily detained in inhumane conditions;

D.whereas the cases of Dzianis Ivashyn, Pavel Belavus, Ihar Alinevich, Volha Mayorava, Alena Lazarchyk, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Viktar Snehur, Eduard Babaryka, Mikalai Autukhovich, Uladzimir Hundar, Iryna Melkher, members of the Rezanovich and Karsakou families, Stsiapan Latypau, Viachaslau Areshka and many others illustrate the severe deterioration of health and the devastating consequences of inhuman detention conditions, prolonged isolation and the denial of adequate medical care;

E.whereas Article 411 of the Criminal Code of Belarus has been systematically used against political prisoners to arbitrarily extend their imprisonment on the basis of fabricated disciplinary violations, creating a mechanism of indefinite detention and coercion; whereas more than 80 political prisoners have been convicted under this provision since 2020, some of them repeatedly; whereas Article 411 is used to subject detainees to blackmail, force them to seek pardons from the regime, participate in propaganda activities or cooperate with the authorities, and has become an instrument of psychological torture and political repression;

1.Demands the immediate and unconditional release of Pulinovich and all political prisoners, their full rehabilitation and the full restoration of their rights; reiterates its unwavering solidarity with all political prisoners and their families;

2.Urges the authorities to end all forms of ill-treatment of political prisoners, incommunicado detention, the denial of medical care and access to lawyers and family, and forced labour, and to investigate deaths in custody and allegations of torture;

3.Strongly condemns the politically motivated prosecution of Belarusians, particularly the imprisonment of minors such as Pulinovich; denounces the misuse of anti-terrorism and anti-extremism legislation to criminalise anti-war expression, youth dissent and solidarity with Ukraine, and to suppress peaceful dissent, including bringing severe charges against young people to intimidate them; calls for the lists of terrorists and extremists to be abolished; urges the Belarusian authorities to comply with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child;

4.Condemns the systematic misuse of Article 411 of the Criminal Code of Belarus as a tool for political persecution and arbitrary sentence extension; calls for its immediate repeal; demands the release and full legal rehabilitation of all persons convicted under this provision; expresses deep concern for the approximately 50 political prisoners who remain imprisoned under Article 411 and whose lives and health are at serious risk as a result of prolonged detention, solitary confinement and other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment;

5.Acknowledges US efforts to secure political prisoners’ release; underlines, however, that prisoner releases are motivated by the regime’s concern for economic survival and are not accompanied by political transformation or reform justifying normalisation of relations; insists that releasing all political prisoners and ending repression remain preconditions for political dialogue and economic cooperation; demands an end to the forced deportation of released political prisoners and the repression of their relatives;

6.Urges the EU, its Member States and international partners to intensify efforts to secure the release of all political prisoners, including summoning the regime’s ambassadors to determine the prisoners’ condition and location, monitoring political prisoners’ cases and granting humanitarian visas, and to provide rehabilitation and practical and financial support;

7.Calls on the Council to broaden, strengthen and strictly enforce targeted sanctions against all persons and entities responsible for politically motivated prosecutions, repression and torture;

8.Calls for the EU and its Member States to support the documentation of crimes committed by the Lukashenka regime, including at UN level, and to further accountability through international mechanisms, including Lithuania’s ICC referral and investigations and national proceedings based on extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction;

9.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the VP/HR, the Council, the Commission, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the de facto authorities of Belarus.