Varvara Medvedeva

and her husband Pavel were detained in Minsk in mid-December when they returned to Belarus for treatment.

Viasna, citing information from pro-government sources, reports that the family lived abroad for two years.

Upon returning to Belarus, the spouses were detained for participation in the 2020 protests, activities "as part of the diaspora" and abusive comments on the Internet.

At first, the husband and wife were sentenced to administrative arrest.

But Varvara was never released after "days" - a criminal case was opened against her and she was transferred to the pre-trial detention center-1 on Voladorski.

  • As the State Border Committee reported earlier, 52 people were detained for "extremism" when entering Belarus last year.

    According to the information of "Viasny" human rights activists, a total of 58 Belarusians were detained between 2022 and the beginning of 2023.

    Of them, at least 10 people have already been sentenced to imprisonment, 4 people to "domestic chemistry", and criminal cases have been opened against 7 more.

    Some of the detainees were tried in administrative cases and placed in a detention center for "days".

  • Also, human rights defenders are aware of cases when the security forces destroyed the documents of Belarusians for traveling abroad and even their passports after the arrest.

  • Recently, the authorities increasingly call on those Belarusians who have left to return home, saying that after an official appeal and repentance, they will not be threatened with imprisonment or restriction of freedom.

    But, for example, Tatsiana Kurilyna from Hamel, the administrator of the chat rooms "97%", who believed the promises of the security forces and decided to take advantage of the pro-government program "The Road Home", faces up to 15 years in prison.