Anarchist Black Cross Belarus

✊ There is no better day than today! To remember our comrades imprisoned in Lukashenko’s prisons and make a donation to ABC Belarusfor their support. All ways to support are available on our website 👉 abc-belarus.org/donate

We have prepared a short yearly update of the ongoing repression against anarchists in Belarus. See more on our website RU Освобождения Четверо анархисто:к освобождены и помилованы. Троих из них сразу выслали из Беларуси. • Андрей Чепюк • Акихиро Гаевский-Ханада • Николай Дедок • Мария Мисюк Продление сроков Девяти анархистам продлили сроки заключения — от 6 месяцев до 2 лет. Официальная причина — «злостное неповиновение администрации». На практике это распространённый способ давления на политзаключённых: наказать за отказ признать вину и не допустить их возвращения к политической деятельности. Новые суровые приговоры В октябре пятерых молодых людей из группы «Чёрные соловьи» приговорили к 10–13 годам лишения свободы. Их обвинили в подготовке антивоенных диверсий. Мария Мисюк, гражданка Украины, была позже вывезена в Украину в рамках обмена военнопленными в ноябре 2025 года. Подробнее читайте в обзоре на нашем сайте.

The regime has added ABC Belarus to the official list of “extremist formations.” This is yet another attempt to pressure the anarchist movement and criminalize solidarity work. This is a part of a broader trend targeting both anarchist groups and any solidarity initiatives in Belarus. Other anarchist collectives and organizations have already been labeled “extremist,” including Pramen, Revolutionary Action, and other prisoner support initiatives such as Bysol and Dissidentby. In Belarus, state can declare any group of people an “extremist formation.” Any interaction with such groups may then be treated as a criminal offense. Under Belarusian law, this can include: ⚫️ Participation in an extremist formation Any form of cooperation, even minimal assistance, can be interpreted as involvement. The maximum penalty is 7 years in prison. ⚫️ Financing extremist activity: Any donation may be treated as financing extremist activity. The maximum penalty is 8 years in prison. ⚫️ Facilitating extremist activity: This may include sending information or media materials to designated organizations, giving interviews or commentary, carrying out tasks, or providing any other form of support. The maximum penalty is 7 years in prison. These laws are often applied retroactively. Belarus is not unique in using accusations of “extremism” or “terrorism” against political "enemies", similar tactics are used by governments around the world, from Minsk to Washington (i.e. the criminalization of the antifascist movement). ❓What does this mean in practice? Anyone in Belarus, or planning to travel there, could face criminal prosecution for interacting with ABC Belarus. We encourage people to review their security practices if they plan to visit Belarus or Russia. If you are outside Belarus, now is the time to show solidarity and support our work by making a donation. We do not intend to change the nature of what we do. Repression is precisely what makes the work of ABC necessary so for us, the struggle continues. Until all are free🏴

American anarchist Marius Mason is free! Yesterday, news broke that Marius Mason has been released after 17 years in prison. Marius is an anarchist, an advocate for animal rights and environmental protection, and someone who fought for justice and the future of our planet. He was arrested for participating in acts of property damage connected to environmental protests. No one was harmed in these actions, yet federal authorities still sentenced him to 22 years in prison — the longest sentence among all those charged in the “Green Scare” case. The “Green Scare” case targeted activists who stood up for animal rights and environmental protection. Federal authorities sought the harshest possible punishments for them, including life sentences, and publicly labeled them “terrorists.” Now Marius is finally free again.

In prison, in diaspora and at war - the current state of belarusian anarchist movement Six years after violent suppression of protests against regime of Alexander Lukashenko members of the belarusian anarchist movement are existing in different worlds at the same time. One of the biggest parts of the movements continues to stay in the prisons of dictatorship and few remain inside the country. The other part joined anarchists in the war against the russian invasion of Ukraine with weapons and doing solidarity work. And the rest find themselves in exile in different parts of Europe. Despite all of that the movement continues to organize within different collectives. What are the lessons of the movement existing in such challenging and different way? And what keeps people fighting even in the most desperate conditions of the modern collapsing world? On the example of belarusian anarchist movement we will try to answer those questions and have a deeper look on how to survive the crisis inflicted by the state in attempt to completely destroy the political opposition. @belarus_abc ______________________________ CZE Ve vězení, v diaspoře a ve válce – současný stav běloruského anarchistického hnutí Šest let po násilném potlačení protestů proti režimu Alexander Lukashenka existují členové běloruského anarchistického hnutí současně v několika odlišných realitách. Velká část hnutí zůstává ve věznicích diktatury a jen někteří setrvávají přímo v zemi. Další část se připojila k anarchistům ve válce proti ruské invazi na Ukrajině, kde bojují se zbraní v ruce a organizují solidární aktivity. Zbytek se ocitl v exilu v různých částech Evropy. Navzdory tomu všemu hnutí nadále funguje a organizuje se v různých kolektivech. Jaké poučení plyne z existence hnutí v tak náročných a rozdílných podmínkách? A co lidi udržuje v boji i v těch nejbeznadějnějších situacích moderního, rozpadajícího se světa? Na příkladu běloruského anarchistického hnutí se pokusíme tyto otázky zodpovědět a podívat se hlouběji na to, jak přežít krizi vyvolanou státem ve snaze zcela zničit politickou opozici. @belarus_abc

Білоруські протести 2020 року часто описують як повністю мирні та ненасильницькі. Таке формулювання спрощує реальну картину подій. Щоб розвіяти цей міф і краще познайомити українську аудиторію з ситуацією в Білорусі, ми запрошуємо вас на лекцію «Радикальний спротив і репресії в Білорусі на прикладі кейсу "анархо-партизан"». «Анархо-партизанами» називають групу з 4 хлопців: Ігоря Аліневіча, Сергія Романова, Дмитра Резановича та Дмитра Дубовського, затриману у жовтні 2020 року в районі білорусько-українського кордону за підозрою в низці атак на державні об’єкти. Учасники цієї групи, яка назвала себе на суді «Чорний прапор», отримали надзвичайно жорсткі вироки — від 19 до 24 років ув’язнення, включно з ізоляцією та катуваннями. Таким чином, вони належать до числа політичних в’язнів, засуджених найсуворіше в країні. Їхня справа — лише один із прикладів хвилі політичних репресій після виборів 2020 року. У п’ятницю, 15.05, в @karma.roots ми розповімо вам про їхню історію та про контекст подій, у яких відбувалися діяльність і затримання групи.

=== Eng below === 🎉 День рождения у Александра Францкевича. Поздравьте его! Сегодня, 6 мая, Александру Францкевичу исполнилось 36 лет. Его задержали еще 13 августа 2020 года и почти через два года осудили на 17 лет колонии, в том числе якобы за создание международной преступной организации и организацию массовых беспорядков. При рассмотрении апелляционной жалобы суд сократил срок заключения для Саши на три месяца — 16 лет и 9 месяцев. 24 июня 2024 года его приговорили к дополнительному году колонии якобы за злостное неповиновение требованиям администрации колонии по ч. 2 ст. 411 Уголовного кодекса. 27 февраля 2025 года начался новый суд по такому же обвинению, результат его неизвестен, но Александра перевели в новую колонию, что свидетельствует об обвинительном приговоре. Также в феврале 2025 года осудили его мать и тетю. Это уже шестой день рождения, который Александр Францкевич встречает в заключении. 📬 Написать слова поддержки можно по адресу: СТ № 8, ул. Советская, 22А г. Жодино, Беларусь, 222163 Александру Владимировичу Францкевичу === ENG === 🎉 It’s Aleksandr Frantskevich’s birthday. Send him your best wishes! Today Aleksandr Frantskevich turned 36. He was detained on August 13, 2020, and nearly two years later was sentenced to 17 years in prison, including for allegedly creating an international criminal organization and organizing mass riots. Upon reviewing the appeal, the court reduced Aleksandr sentence by three months—to 16 years and 9 months. On June 24, 2024, he was sentenced to an additional year in prison, allegedly for willful disobedience of the prison administration’s orders, under Part 2 of Article 411 of the Criminal Code. On February 27, 2025, a new trial began on the same charge; the outcome is unknown, but Aleksandr was transferred to a new prison, which suggests a guilty verdict. Also in February 2025, his mother and aunt were convicted. This is already the sixth birthday that Aleksandr Frantskevich is spending in prison.

Anarchist Nikita Emelyanov is free! After six and a half years in prison, Nikita Emelyanov was released on May 2. Nikita was detained on October 20, 2019, on suspicion of attempting to set fire to Pretrial Detention Center No. 1 in Minsk and was sentenced to four years in prison. Subsequently, his sentence was extended twice under Article 411 (disobeying the prison administration’s orders) , bringing Nikita’s total sentence to seven years. While in prison, Nikita was frequently subjected to punishments such as placement in solitary confinement and physical punishment, and was eventually transferred to a prison regime. We are very happy to see Nikita free!

We plan to publish hectic and brief reviews of repression in other countries. We'll start with Russia. *Correction slide 4: Azat Miftakhov is in the neighboring correctional facility, not the one in which Navalny was killed. Follow for more @tumenskoe_delo @solidarity.zone Photo used as background: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP/Getty Images

On 23 April, an infotalk was organised at the Vienna Anarchist Library dedicated to the case of Belarusian "anarcho-partisans", 4 comrades that were sentenced to huge prison terms (19 to 24 years) for attacks on government facilities in 2020. Attendees learned about the current detention conditions and the convictions of anarchists. 155 euros was collected in donations. We are grateful to the person who volunteered to hold the presentation and the library for hosting the event. Learn more about the case and the ways to support anarchist prisoners in Belarus via links in bio

❗️Anarchist partisans: 2000 days in prison in Belarus Anarchists from the “Black Flag” group — Dmitry Dubovsky, Igor Olinevich, Sergey Romanov, and Dmitry Rezanovich — were detained on the night of October 28–29, 2020. They were beaten, tortured, and later charged under multiple criminal articles for possession of weapons, arson of cars, a traffic police building, and the State Committee of Forensic Examinations. Initially, the court sentenced them to between 18 and 20 years in prison. Later, Dmitry Dubovsky received an additional sentence related to a 2010 case, while Dmitry Rezanovich and Sergey Romanov were given extra time allegedly for “malicious disobedience” to prison staff. Despite extremely harsh conditions of imprisonment and isolation from the outside world, the anarchists continue to show resilience and remain true to their beliefs. How can you support them? ✍️ Write a letter of support online 👕 Buy merch (T-shirts and soap with Romanov’s artwork, Olinevich’s book, and more) - @sabotage.distro ✊ Donate to support them - link in bio 🔁 Share this post Every action matters! == Ru == ❗️ 2000 дней в неволе анархо-партизаны Анархистов группы "Черное знамя" Дмитрия Дубовского, Игоря Олиневича, Сергея Романова и Дмитрия Резановича задержали в ночь с 28 на 29 октября 2020 года. Их избивали, пытали, а позже обвинили по нескольким уголовным статьям за хранение оружия, поджог автомобилей, здания ГАИ и госкомитета судебных экспертиз. Изначально суд назначил анархистам от 18 до 20 лет колонии, но позже Дмитрию Дубовскому добавили срок по делу 2010 года, а Дмитрий Резанович и Сергей Романов были осуждены на дополнительные сроки якобы за злостное неповиновение сотрудникам колоний. Несмотря на тяжелейшие условия заточения и изоляции от внешнего мира, анархисты продолжают сохранять стойкость духа и верность своим убеждениям. Как поддержать товарищей? ✍️ Напиши письмо поддержки онлайн 👕 Купи мерч (майки и мыло с рисунками Романова, книгу Олиневича и др.) у @sabotage.distro ✊ Задонать по ссылке в профиле 🔁 Поделись этой публикаций Любое действие имеет значение!

(Belarusian below) The teenage anarchists were tortured during the detention to force them to testify against each other A video appeared on TikTok in which a man who calls himself Dmitry Zhigalov calls the "Black Nightingales" case fabricated, because investigators with the surnames Markovich and Bublin used torture against the detained teenagers—beating them and threatening them with a gun so they were forced to testify against others . A group of six anarchists who called themselves "Black Nightingales" was arrested in December 2023. The group emerged after the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, and its members pasted anti-war and anti-dictatorship flyers and painted graffiti, but the state charged them with terrorism, claiming they were preparing an explosion. At the time of their arrest, most of them were minors. In October 2025, they were sentenced to 10 to 12 years in prison. ----------- Бацька аднаго з асуджаных па справе «Чорных салаўёў» заявіў, да ягонага сына катавалі сьледчыя У сетцы ТыкТок зьявілася відэа, на якім мужчына, які называе сябе Дзьмітрыем Аляксеевічам Жыгалёвым, называе справу «Чорных салаўёў» сфабрыкаванай, бо сьледчыя з прозьвішчамі марковіч і бублін ужывалі ў дачыненьні да затрыманых падлеткаў катаваньні — зьбівалі іх ды пагражалі зброяй. Такім чынам іх прымушалі даць паказаньні на іншых фігурантаў справы. Мужчына, які, найхутчэй, бацька Сяргея Жыгалёва, просіць ад дыктатара адправіць справу на перагляд, а сьледчых, якія перавысілі паўнамоцтвы, — пакараць. Нагадаем, што групу з шасьці анархістых, якія называлі сябе «Чорнымі салаўямі», затрымалі ў сьнежні 2023 года. Група паўстала пасьля пачатку поўнамаштабнай вайны расеі супраць Украіны, і ейныя ўдзельнікі клеілі ўлёткі й наносілі графіці супраць вайны й дыктатуры, але іх абвінавацілі ў тэрарызьме. На момант затрыманьня большасьць зь іх былі непаўнагадовымі. У кастрычніку 2025 ім прысудзілі ад 10 да 12 гадоў. #BlackNightingales #ЧёрныеСоловьи