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4h ago

Belarus’s Women Political Prisoners Detail Abuse as U.N. Condemns Conditions

Belarus blocks independent prison monitoring despite international pressure.

Antanina Kanavalava, center right, a former political prisoner in Belarus, looks at photos of other prisoners printed on a dress at the Freedom March for Belarus in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
FILE - Police officers detain protesters during a rally in Minsk, Belarus, on Sept. 8, 2020, in support of opposition figure Maria Kolesnikova following a disputed presidential election the previous month. (AP Photo, File)
Former political prisoner Palina Sharenda-Panasiuk, who spent more than spent more than four years behind bars in Belarus before her release, poses for a photo during a visit in Warsaw, Poland, on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
Antanina Kanavalava, center, a former political prisoner in Belarus, takes part in the Freedom March for Belarus in Warsaw, Poland, on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)

Overview

  • Independent U.N. experts call conditions for women in Belarusian prisons appalling and cite a blatant lack of accountability for ill treatment.
  • Human rights groups say nearly 1,200 people remain jailed on political grounds, including about 178 women who face particular vulnerability.
  • Former detainees describe gender-specific abuses such as threats to parental rights, prolonged solitary confinement, strip searches by male staff, and forced 12–14 hour workdays.
  • Reports highlight medical neglect, including the prison-diagnosed cancer of Hanna Kandratsenka who later died after being denied early release, and repeated hunger strikes by Viktoryia Kulsha that U.N. experts warned are life-threatening.
  • Authorities deny systemic mistreatment, continue to refuse international monitors, and point to limited pardons and transfers abroad, including releases after a June visit by a U.S. envoy and recent remarks by President Trump urging more releases.