Someone close is detained / a political prisoner

Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.

• Human rights groups advise reporting the detention to Viasna (@ViasnaSOS) and BYSOL and finding a lawyer. Both are designated 'extremist' in Belarus, and contact with them can lead to prosecution. If you are in Belarus, pass on information through a trusted person abroad, or from a device that is not checked, over a secure channel.
• Detainees are often pushed into confessing and recording 'repentance' videos, which are later used in the case. It helps if they know they may refuse to testify against themselves.
• Pressure extends to the family, up to declaring it 'socially dangerous' and threatening to remove children. Arrange notarised guardianship papers in advance.
• Contact human rights groups from devices the security services won't check.

Designations of organisations in this guide: Viasna Human Rights Centre (extremist in Belarus); BYSOL Belarusian Solidarity Foundation (extremist in Belarus). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.

current as of September 25. More: Honest People: 'A country of hostages'; Current Time: 'socially dangerous' status and removal of children

Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.

• Addresses for letters are on Politzek.me. Human rights groups advise keeping letters neutral, with no politics or other people's names, or the censor won't pass them.
• BYSOL, Dissidentby and Politzek.me help with parcels and legal fees; INeedHelpBY sends food packages to families.
• Helping with parcels has itself led to prosecutions, so sending money through funds is safer than paying directly. But people in Belarus have also been prosecuted for receiving help from funds designated 'extremist'. Ask the fund itself how to receive money more safely.
• After release: group therapy and support at the Belarusian House in Warsaw, resocialisation help from Dissidentby.

Designations of organisations in this guide: BYSOL Belarusian Solidarity Foundation (extremist in Belarus); Dissidentby (extremist in Belarus); Politzek.me (extremist in Belarus); Belarusian House in Warsaw (extremist in Belarus). Contacting them carries a risk: do not write from a phone that may be seized, and do not repost their materials.

current as of September 25. More: Politzek.me: write a letter (extremist in Belarus); Honest People: 'A country of hostages'; Viasna: guide for families of released prisoners (extremist in Belarus)

Draft. Compiled from human rights groups' guides but not yet reviewed by a lawyer. This is not legal advice — check the linked sources and consult a lawyer.

• A donation to an organisation on the 'extremist formations' list is treated as aiding extremism: up to 7 years in prison and being put on the 'extremist list'.
• Human rights groups usually advise against paying from Belarusian cards and accounts — such payments are easy to trace.
• Before travelling to Belarus, take an ordinary phone with a safe history, prepared in advance. Deleted subscriptions and chats are sometimes recovered, so remove them long before the trip.
• Check a fund's status against the Interior Ministry list: media, chats and aid initiatives are all designated 'extremist'.

current as of September 25. More: npr.by: liability for extremism in 2026; Interior Ministry: 'extremist formations' list