Belarus is an authoritarian state in which elections are openly rigged and civil liberties are severely restricted. Security forces have violently assaulted and arbitrarily detained journalists, activists, and ordinary citizens who challenge the regime. The judiciary and other institutions lack independence and provide no check on President Alyaksandr Lukashenka’s power.

• Alyaksandr Lukashenka won January’s presidential election with 87 percent of the vote, according to state election authorities. The campaign took place amid an environment of extreme political repression, as authorities continued to harshly persecute any expression of dissent.
• More than 130 political prisoners were freed in two releases during the year that followed high-level meetings between US officials and Lukashenka. Those released included prominent opposition figures such as Siarhei Tsikhanouski, Maria Kalesnikava, Viktar Babaryka, and human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. The individuals released were deported to Lithuania and Ukraine, many without their identity documents. At year’s end, the human rights organization Viasna counted more than 1,100 political prisoners remaining in Belarus.
• Authorities continued to employ antiextremism legislation against individuals and independent organizations to restrict public outreach and suppress dissent. Viasna reported that in 2025, Belarusian courts declared more than 2,000 information materials including Telegram channels, books, and social media accounts, to be “extremist.” The group reported that the government’s list of “extremist groups” contained over 300 entities, including educational initiatives, civil society organizations, independent media channels, artists, and hobbyist groups.
• A report by the Belarusian nongovernmental organization Human Constanta found that the government over the last two years had relaxed labor migration regulation, resulting in an increase in the number of migrant workers in the country. At the same time, the group found, serious loopholes in labor laws left migrant workers vulnerable to exploitation and abuse—particularly provisions that prevent workers from changing employers, upon which they are heavily dependent.

This report has been abridged for Freedom in the World 2026 due to ongoing budget constraints. Freedom in the World is entirely funded by nongovernmental sources such as private foundations, corporations, and individuals like you. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.