In #Belarus, even helping each other is now a crime. The regime has labeled chats of prisoners' families - used to share basic info on parcels, visits, survival - "extremist formations." Just because of solidarity - that's exactly what the regime fears most.

#Belarus Security forces raided the Minsk office of ZROBIM architects. About 50 employees were detained, including the founder, according to independent media. This is how Lukashenka "releases" political prisoners. A self-styled grand negotiator - just a bully who knows only repression.

A political prisoner journalist in #Belarus, Dzmitry Navazhylau, remains behind bars - despite reports that he was supposed to be released in March. Human rights defenders say there was "confusion" in the list of prisoners freed on March 19 with US mediation.

At least 2,020 civil society organizations have disappeared in #Belarus in the past five years. Forced closures, intimidation, criminal cases - even against a charity for seriously ill children. This is what repression looks like: dismantling solidarity, piece by piece.

З Вялікаднем, дарагія мае! Happy Easter, dear friends! Joyeuses Pâques à vous!

#Belarus Journalist Dzmitry Navazhylau has apparently not been released - despite his name being on the list. So were all 235 actually freed while sanctions were lifted? This looks like a deception. The regime lies, deports, confiscates - now even annuls passports.

#Belarus Belarusian state media channels - BelTA, STV, ONT - likely removed from YouTube. These channels were spreading both pro-Lukashenka and pro-Russian propaganda.

#Belarus The regime has annulled the passport of Nobel laureate Ales Bialiatski - valid until 2028. He calls it "another form of transnational repression" targeting exiled political prisoners. This is systemic, and the regime must face consequences for doing this to people.

Led by Vytis Jurkonis (Freedom House), panellists @hannaliubakova.bsky.social (Belarusian journalist), @jessikka.bsky.social (Finnish journalist/author) & Natalia Arno (President of Free Russia Fdn) also spoke from experience, sharing the human cost of TNR + what policy responses must look like.

Belarusians are shocked by the rising prices in sanatoriums across #Belarus - many can no longer afford treatment. At the same time, the regime is accepting 200 Russian soldiers for free rehabilitation. The money for their treatment will obviously come from the state budget.

"We're preparing for war," say Lukashenka. He declared the end of "peacetime" after surprise military drills - saying the army must be ready for real conflict so "no one dares to mess with us." He is doing exactly what Putin wants him to do, which is escalating.

In #Belarus, BBC News Russian has been labeled "extremist" - effectively blocking access to the entire BBC. Another crackdown on free media. Source: reform.news/sajt-bbc-pri...

#Belarus How terrible: former Belarusian political prisoners who were expelled from the country are now having their passports annulled - effectively stripping them of basic rights and freedom of movement. Can you imagine your state doing this to you?

#Belarus Yesterday, Belarusians gathered in Warsaw, #Poland, to celebrate Freedom Day - a holiday banned by the regime that commemorates the founding of our state in 1918. Though short-lived, it remains deeply significant. Look at the demonstration:

Lukashenka's diplomacy: Belarusians can now travel to North Korea without a visa - an "achievement" that contrasts sharply with the growing difficulty of accessing much of the rest of the world due to the regime's actions and crimes.

#Belarus Lukashenka gifting Kim Jong Un an assault rifle "so he can defend himself from enemies." Nothing says peace diplomacy like a loaded metaphor.

Sciapan Latypau has reportedly attempted suicide for the third time in prison. After years of pressure, isolation and inhumane conditions, he says he "sees no meaning in life" and cannot survive another term. This is what repression in #Belarus looks like.

Lukashenka went to North Korea to breathe his favourite air - totalitarianism - on our Freedom Day. Nothing could be more symbolic of where we are as a people, and where he stands as a dictator. And perhaps where he belongs.

In 1991, on the eve of Freedom Day, Ales Bialiatski raised the white-red-white flag on the Maxim Bahdanovich Literary Museum. Today, it's even more difficult to do in #Belarus. But I hope soon it will be possible.

Thank you to #Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada for marking #Belarus Freedom Day and supporting our fight. Belarusian volunteers are helping defend Ukraine’s future on the frontline, and Belarus must be free.

Your important reminder: we don't use Lukashenka's official flag, as it has become a symbol of repression for many. Instead, we use the historic Belarusian flag - widely seen during the 2020 protests. No emoji exists for it, so we represent it with colours: ⬜️🟥⬜️ 🤍❤️🤍

#Belarus The regime's services are massively DDoSing independent media websites and the website of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. Propaganda even announced it. So much for national dialogue and celebrating Freedom Day.

#Belarus We are celebrating Belarus Freedom Day today. In 1918, we established the Belarusian People's Republic. It was short-lived, but it laid the foundation for future independence. Today, many of us are in jail, in exile or facing repression. But we keep fighting.

Russian strike on Lviv: at least two people seriously wounded. A residential building in the city center was hit and a UNESCO heritage site was damaged. #Russia is using such attacks to intimidate Ukrainians. It must be stopped. #Ukraine must receive all the support it needs.

#Belarus Lukashenka is set to visit North Korea on March 25-26 for talks with Kim Jong Un. As Belarus grows increasingly isolated after 2020, Minsk is seeking to deepen ties with Pyongyang - despite limited trade and unclear mutual benefits. It's also our Freedom Day.

🇺🇦 President Zelenskyy: Russia plans to deploy four long-range drone control stations in #Belarus - in addition to those on occupied Ukrainian territories. He said Ukraine has “clear intel” and will respond accordingly.

#Belarus It’s been such a relief to see Kaciaryna Andreeva, brilliant journalist who spent more than five years in prison. In this video, she says that her priority now is the release of her husband Ihar Ilyash, another journalist. Thank you to John Coale and the US leadership.

#Belarus Wait - the regime held Lithuanian trucks hostage since November 2025 and now it's suddenly letting them out? Reminds you of something? It should. Stay clear-eyed: Lukashenka and the KGB are running the same playbook - diluting attention, shifting the stakes.

Lukashenka himself says that the prisoners released in #Belarus are under the control of security forces - meaning they are not entirely free. "There will be no repeat of 2020 in Belarus, guys. I don't want to run around the streets with a rifle," he says. He is still scared.

#Germany Colleagues and friends, if you’re in Berlin on April 1, join us for an event on transnational repression - an issue whose importance is growing each year. Let me know if you’re interested, and I'd be happy to share the registration link.

#Belarus Our human rights defenders: first reports are coming in that people from the pardon lists have started being released from prisons and colonies. This is about the 235 political prisoners who were "allowed" to stay in the country (how cynical the regime is!)

Heartbreaking to read about released Belarusian political prisoners - especially the elderly. One woman writes she's learning to use her phone again. She says she was afraid to go into the city alone, got lost, panicked. It took her 1.5 months to understand how to get around.

I am deeply grateful for the messages I've received from all of you who follow #Belarus. Your words were thoughtful and clear-eyed. But I cannot accept a reality in which a human being is being exploited for gain. I keep wondering how we ended up here, when this becomes treated as the new norm.

Eduard Palchys said, "I don't want to complain - others had it worse." A political prisoner saying this. I'm glad for him, but it only underscores how painful and deeply unjust all of this is. #Belarus

#Belarus Kacia, brave, talented, beautiful, is free. This is Katsiaryna Andreeva, journalist and former political prisoner, who has just been released and forcibly deported. Her husband Ihar Ilyash, also a journalist, is still in prison.

I'm thinking today about Mikalai Statkevich, who dedicated his health to fighting for people's right to remain in #Belarus if they choose, without facing deportation. He suffered a stroke while behind bars and was denied medication.

I rarely share crowdfunding initiatives, as you know - but this one matters. It's to support 250 released political prisoners. The goal is €250,000, which comes to just €1,000 per person - yet even that is sadly not enough. Thank you for any support you can give: bysol.org/en/bs/sro4na...

Folks in Vilnius are waiting for the forcibly deported political prisoners!

#Belarus On sanction relief for banks controlled by the regime - what this will facilitate is transactions involving dual-use goods, including with military applications. Keep this in mind and be clear about what's happening. More focus on EU sanctions and closing loopholes.

#Belarus None of the released but forcibly deported political prisoners have their passports - they were all confiscated, according to the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. A petty act of revenge by the regime against my friends and these brave people. How exhausted they are.

#Belarus Kaciaryna Andreeva is right next to John Coale. Thank you so much for fighting for the release of this talented journalist, as well as all political prisoners - human rights defenders Marfa Rabkova and Nasta Loika, Valiantsin Stefanovich, blogger Eduard Palchys, and many more.

#Belarus Reuters: The government of Belarus released ​250 prisoners on ‌Thursday in a deal brokered by the ​United States, with ​235 released domestically and ⁠15 people sent ​to Lithuania, the ​US embassy in Vilnius said.

#Belarus Several sources confirm the release of Kaciaryna Andreeva - a talented, young, brilliant journalist arrested in November 2020 while covering protests. Kacia is my friend, and every day has been so unfair and heartbreaking. Her husband, Ihar, has also been arrested.

The US is reportedly lifting sanctions on Belinvestbank, the Development Bank of #Belarus and the Ministry of Finance, according to John Coale, quoted by Lukashenka's press service. Belarusian Potash Company and Belaruskali are also said to be removed from sanctions lists.

#Belarus Some first names of the released are beginning to appear. I'm about to explode with happiness! But nothing has been confirmed yet and it's important to wait. We've learned this from past experience - otherwise, it can cause immense pain for relatives.

#Belarus Incredible - at the meeting between the US delegation and Lukashenka, he apparently expressed a desire to go to the US. In theory, this could be framed as a step toward peace, but it's clear this reflects Lukashenka's personal ambitions.

#Belarus The meeting between the US delegation and Lukashenka has begun.

#Belarus Politician Mikalai Statkevich says he suffered a stroke after being denied proper medication in prison. His prescribed medicine was replaced with aspirin - doctors later called this substitution the cause of his stroke. He also reports prolonged solitary confinement.

#Belarus US Special Envoy John Coale has arrived at the Palace of Independence in Minsk. We are expecting the release of political prisoners - ideally, all of them. It is extremely important that all journalists are freed, including Kaciaryna Andreeva.

Hundreds of thousands of Belarusians were forced to flee and cannot safely return home. Now some Russians are discussing moving to #Belarus because the internet works and apartments are cheaper. History can be cruelly unfair.