Human Rights Dispatch Dec 18, 2025 Governments Call for Jimmy Lai’s Release, Belarusian Political Prisoners Released. HRF celebrates the freedom of those released and honors their resilience. Until every political prisoner is free and Belarusians can live without repression, the struggle for democracy in Belarus must continue.
Press Release Feb 25, 2025 HRF celebrates the release of Belarusian dissident Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) celebrates the release of Belarusian dissident Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, who was released on Feb. 2, after spending 1,491 days in arbitrary detention.
Press Release Jun 24, 2024 HRF submits joint petition to UNWGAD for Belarusian activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk In late May, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) and the Human Rights Center Viasna (Viasna) submitted a joint petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) on behalf of well-known Belarusian pro-democracy activist Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk.
Op-Ed Jan 31, 2024 Alexander Lukashenko’s reign of terror continues in Belarus On Tuesday, the Belarusian KGB descended on the apartments and offices of at least 159 friends and family of political prisoners in a “massive security raid.” At least 100 people were interrogated and at least 26 were arrested on politically motivated charges.
Blog Post Aug 9, 2023 Honoring the Voices of the 2020 Belarusian Protests Today marks three years since the Belarusian people overwhelmingly voted against Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian rule and in favor of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the main opposition candidate, only to have Lukashenko impose himself by way of fraud and crush the ensuing protests.
Blog Post Apr 28, 2023 How Alexander Lukashenko Targets the Women of Belarus They stood in rows, all dressed in red and white — the colors of the independent Belarusian flag, used by the opposition and banned by Alexander Lukashenko’s regime. The sight of hundreds of women peacefully marching in protest would become an enduring symbol in Belarus in 2020.
Blog Post Jan 11, 2023 Meet HRF Freedom Fellow Volya Vysotskaia Meet HRF Freedom Fellow Volya Vysotskaia, a Belarusian human rights activist who exposes repression and torture by state officials.
Blog Post Jan 11, 2023 Trials in Absentia: Lukashenko’s Latest Act of Repression The anti-government protests in Belarus over the last two years may have died down, but the country remains marred by violent repression and the clamping down on dissidents.
Announcement Oct 8, 2022 OFF Speakers Oleksandra Matviichuk & Ales Bialiatski Awarded Nobel Peace Prize Today, Ukraine’s Center for Civil Liberties, Belarus’ Ales Bialiatski, and Russia’s Memorial were awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize.
Blog Post Aug 9, 2022 Why We Must Remember Belarus in 2022 Today marks the 2nd anniversary of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus. During this election, the people of Belarus made it clear that they reject the presidency of Alexander Lukashenko — a brutal dictator who has ruled the country since 1994 — by voting instead for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and choosing a free and democratic path for their country.
Blog Post Aug 1, 2022 Resident Artist Spotlight: Lilia Kvatsabaya In August 2020, Lilia Kvatsabaya, a Belarusian graphic design student, found herself amid the largest protests in the country’s history.
Blog Post Jul 20, 2022 Belarus’ Lukashenko is Challenging International Norms. We Must Stop Him. Entire cities besieged and razed to the ground, millions of people displaced, hundreds of billions of dollars worth of destruction, and, most tragically, thousands of people killed and grieving lost loved ones — that is a reality for millions of Ukrainians whose country was invaded by Russia’s Vladimir Putin almost five months ago.
Publication May 24, 2022 Rally for Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is a former presidential candidate and the leader of the national democratic movement in Belarus. According to unofficial results, she received the most votes in Belarus’ presidential election in August 2020.
Press Release Dec 14, 2024 HRF Announces New Partnership to Support Independent Media in Belarus FIRST LOOK INSTITUTE’S PRESS FREEDOM DEFENSE FUND AND HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION PARTNER TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT BELARUSIAN JOURNALISTS
Publication Nov 16, 2021 A Free Belarus on the Horizon A conversation between Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and HRF Chairman Garry Kasparov about how dictator Alexander Lukashenko stole the 2020 presidential election, how Belarus rose up, and how she has been advocating around the world for the release of political prisoners, an end to political violence, and free and fair elections in Belarus.
Press Release Jan 15, 2021 HRF to International Ice Hockey Federation Council: Don’t Legitimize Dictatorship in Belarus NEW YORK (January 15, 2021) – Today, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) sent a letter to René Fasel, the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)
Press Release Oct 20, 2020 The Telegram Revolution in Belarus Belarus has been ruled by Alexander Lukashenko – who is sometimes referred to as “Europe’s last dictator” – for the last 26 years. However, 2020 saw the confluence of particular circumstances that gave rise to the ongoing mass protests against Lukashenko, and in support of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and democratic reform.
Press Release Sep 11, 2020 Dissidents & Dictators: Revolution in Belarus HRF’s Dissidents and Dictators interview series presents the latest episode with featured guest Andrei Sannikov (@A_Sannikov), former Belarusian presidential candidate, hosted by HRF’s Alexander Sikorski.
Press Release Aug 20, 2020 HRF Launches Belarus Solidarity Fund NEW YORK (August 20, 2020) – The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) today launched the Belarus Solidarity Fund
Press Release Aug 19, 2020 HRF Sends Letters to Belarusian Security Officers Accused of Crimes Against Humanity NEW YORK (August 19, 2020) – Belarusians have taken to the streets to express their anger following fraudulent election results
