Anastasiya Lazarenka

BELARUS: Lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka sentenced to 6 years in prison and listed as a “terrorist” by the KGB

21 January 2025

Lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka provided pro-bono counselling to relatives of inmates near the Okrestina pre-trial detention centre during the most tense period in 2020, and participated in the Belarusian public debate.

Anastasiya Lazarenka was arrested in early June 2022 on charges of „incitement to hatred“, allegedly for leaking personal data to a Telegram channel.

She was placed in pre-trial detention in March 2023, and learned that she had also been charged with organising an „unauthorised mass event“ in August 2020, when she was providing free legal advice to inmates’ families.

Anastasiya Lazarenka pleaded not guilty throughout the trial. However, on 11 May 2023, she was sentenced by the Minsk City Court to six years‘ imprisonment.

In November 2023, Anastasiya Lazarenka was placed on the Belarusian Ministry of the Interior’s “list of extremists” and the KGB’s “list of terrorists”.

In November, Lazarenka was transferred from Remand Centre No. 1 to Penal Colony No. 4, where she continues to serve her sentence.

On this International Day for Lawyers in Danger, we call for the immediate release of lawyer Anastasiya Lazarenka.

#ProtectBelarusianLawyers #BelarusLegalFreedom

Further information about the lawyer: https://prisoners.spring96.org/en/person/anastasija-lazarenka

Take action for cases of Belarusian endangered lawyers by sharing the OIAD’s campaign: https://protect-lawyers.org/en/2025-belarus-2/

©️Yuliya Pesenka-Hramanteva