A sudden release of 123 Belarusian prisoners on Dec. 13, 2024, has left many without passports, forcing them into exile in Ukraine or Lithuania.
The Release and Its Context
The transfer of 123 inmates was part of a deal that saw the United States lift certain trade sanctions against President Alexander Lukashenko’s government. While 114 were sent to Ukraine, nine were driven to Lithuania, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. The move comes amid Lukashenko’s recent attempts to improve ties with the West after a decade-long crackdown on dissent and the use of Belarusian territory in Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Blindfolded Exile
Uladzimir Labkovich, 47, was the only person who had an official document when he was released. The single paper he held bore his name and mugshot. “After four and half years of abuse in prison, I was thrown out of my own country without a passport or valid documents,” he told the Associated Press from Ukraine. He added that the Belarusian authorities were “making our lives difficult” with another dirty trick.
Labkovich was blindfolded during the transfer, so he and other prisoners could only sense that they were headed south. Rights advocates say at least 18 of the 114 deportees to Ukraine had no documents. Germany has pledged to shelter opposition figures Vitkar Babayka and Maria Kolesnikova.
A Forced Deportation
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the opposition leader who fled Belarus in 2020, described the transfers as a “forced deportation in violation of all international norms and regulations.” She added that the practice is “inhumane treatment.” Tsikhanouskaya also noted that even after pardoning people, Lukashenko continues to retaliate by barring them from staying in the country and driving them out without papers to further humiliate them.
In September, Lukashenko pardoned more than 50 political prisoners who had been taken to the Lithuanian border. One of them, 69-year-old Mikola Statkevich, refused to leave Belarus. He called the government’s actions a “forced deportation,” pushed his way out of the bus, stayed several hours in the no-man’s land between the borders, and was then taken by Belarusian police back into prison.
Fourteen others who crossed into Lithuania from the September release did not have passports. Mikalai Dziadok said Belarusian security operatives tore his passport in front of him. Journalist Ihar Losik said all his papers-including diaries-were confiscated. “My passport was simply stolen. We came here (to Lithuania) – no one had passports. They took photos, all papers, the verdict, notebooks – they took everything,” Losik said.
UN Human Rights Voice
Nils Muižnieks, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, said the situation is “not pardons, but forced exile.” In a statement he added: “These people were looking forward to returning to their homes and families. Instead, they were expelled from the country, left without means of subsistence and, in some cases, stripped of identity documents.”
An activist group has raised more than 245,000 euros (about $278,000) for the released prisoners. Tsikhanouskaya said she has asked Western governments for help. “People went through real hell, and now we are working together to help them and facilitate their legalization and settlement, engaging all contacts with both American and European allies,” she said.
Harsh Prison Conditions
Labkovich, Bialiatski, and five other members of Viasna-Belarus’s oldest and most prominent rights group-were arrested during the crackdown after the 2020 election that Lukashenko claimed was fair but was widely seen as rigged. Bialiatski received a 10-year sentence; Labkovich received seven. They were accused of “financing public unrest” and helping those affected by the crackdown.
While in custody, Labkovich was coerced into cooperation, and two additional criminal cases were opened against him for refusing to obey prison officials and for high treason, which could have added another 15 years to his sentence. He spent more than 200 days in solitary confinement and “lost count of the nights on the concrete floor in the icy cell.”
Two other Viasna activists, Marfa Rabkova and Valiantsin Stefanovic, remain imprisoned. Labkovich believes they and others are still held so that authorities can influence the behavior and statements of those released.
Continued Repression Abroad
Belarusians living abroad cannot renew passports or obtain new ones at embassies and consulates, making life difficult for thousands who fled repression. Activists, rights advocates, and journalists in exile face criminal trials in absentia. Authorities seize their apartments and other property, and courts reject attempts to contest those moves.
Activists describe a “revolving door” of prisoner releases and arrests. Since the Dec. 13 release, Viasna has declared seven more people political prisoners, and 176 since September.
Amnesty International’s director for Eastern Europe, Marie Struthers, urged people not to forget those whose freedom “is long overdue.” She said, “If this release is a part of political bargain, it only underscores the Belarusian authorities’ cynical treatment of people as pawns.”
Earlier this week, activist Aliaksandr Zdaravennau, 46, of Rechytsa was convicted of high treason and participating in extremist activities and sentenced to 10 years. Subway engineer Yury Karnitski, 44, and shop clerk Alena Hartanovich, 52, were added to the Interior Ministry’s list of extremists.
Key Takeaways
- 123 prisoners were released on Dec. 13 in exchange for US sanctions relief, but many were deported without passports.
- Belarusian authorities continue to use forced deportation and document stripping as a form of retaliation.
- Harsh prison conditions, ongoing trials in absentia, and property seizures keep pressure on political dissidents inside and outside Belarus.
A Continuing Human Rights Crisis
The Belarusian regime’s pattern of releasing prisoners only to force them out of the country without legal status illustrates a broader strategy of intimidation and control. While the United Nations and international NGOs call the practice “forced exile,” the daily reality for those who flee remains bleak, with limited access to basic documentation and support. The international community’s response, including financial aid and diplomatic pressure, will be crucial in determining whether these individuals can rebuild their lives in exile or face further persecution.
