How to get a person recognized as a political prisoner. Step-by-step instruction

Your relative, friend, or just a familiar person fell into the millstones of the Belarusian repressive machine. How to get him recognized as a political prisoner? We present to your attention a detailed guide.

To recognize a person as a political prisoner, you need to contact the human rights center "Viasna" and initiate the recognition process by providing the following information:
  • Full name and date of birth of the prisoner
  • What was imputed and what procedural actions took place (general description of the situation with the persecution), was the lawyer present at the time
  • It is not necessary to describe the activities of the person himself before the arrest.
  • Does the person belong to vulnerable groups (there are minor children, relatives in care, poor health, etc.)
  • To what degree of intimacy, you are with the prisoner is their access to the documents on the case to attach them to the statement.

Then you need to pass this information to human rights defenders:
  • send to @ViasnaSOS
  • or contact the nearest regional office by phone on the website of HRC "Viasna."

The whole process takes about 2 weeks.

In our other posts, we will tell you more about:
  • what is the difference between political prisoners and prisoners of conscience
  • why recognize a person as a political prisoner
  • what gives the status of a political prisoner
  • pros and cons of different statuses

Keep for updates.

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A Country to Live in foundation
Helps political prisoners and their families