Belarusian Journalist Kiryl Pazniak Falls Gravely Ill in Prison, Advocates Urge Release

Kiryl Pazniak, a 49-year-old Belarusian journalist, was hospitalized with pneumonia and COVID-19 after a transfer to a prison infirmary. He has been detained since a September arrest on extremism charges that could bring up to seven years. His 20-year-old daughter is also held on similar charges.

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Extremism charges are used by Belarusian authorities to curb dissent. After the disputed 2020 presidential election, protests were met with a crackdown that led to tens of thousands of arrests and police violence, labeling many opposition figures as political prisoners. Belarus has faced Western sanctions and permits Russian forces to operate from its territory during the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In early 2025, after President Donald Trump returned to office, deals secured release of hundreds of detainees, but groups say repression persists.

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Kiryl Pazniak, a YouTube show host, was arrested on extremism charges. His ex-wife Elena reported his worsening health. Andrei Bastunets, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, denounced the treatment of detained journalists. The Viasna Human Rights Center estimates 841 political prisoners.

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Human rights monitors report that 21 journalists, including Pazniak, are currently imprisoned, and the Viasna Center lists 841 political prisoners across Belarus. Convictions on extremism can result in up to seven years of incarceration.

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Pazniak’s illness highlights concerns about inadequate medical care for detainees. Relatives and advocacy groups argue that delayed treatment threatens his life and exemplifies broader patterns of health neglect among political prisoners.

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The Belarusian Association of Journalists, represented by Andrei Bastunets, warned that the cost of free speech in Belarus includes health risks for journalists. Belarusian authorities have not provided a comment on Pazniak’s condition or the allegations of insufficient medical care.

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Human rights defenders, including the Belarusian Association of Journalists and the Viasna Center, label Pazniak and his daughter as political prisoners and call for their immediate release, citing the denial of proper medical treatment as a violation of international standards.

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• “Freedom of speech in Belarus has a specific price, and today 21 journalists behind bars, including Pazniak, are paying for it with their health and ruined lives,” — Andrei Bastunets, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists

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• “Belarus has already become a black hole of Europe and leads the continent in the number of arrested journalists.” — Andrei Bastunets, head of the Belarusian Association of Journalists

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Advocates have urged the Belarusian government to release Pazniak to preserve his health, while international observers monitor the case as part of broader scrutiny of Belarus’s human-rights record.

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