For years, Belarusian state media have published videos featuring detained women, recorded under pressure and, in a number of cases, following violence and torture.
On 3 April 2026, it became known that YouTube had removed the propaganda outlets BelTA, ONT and STV.
It was precisely in these materials that political prisoners were used for years as instruments of propaganda.
Among them are women political prisoners (just a few of many cases):
- SALAMENIK Volha (“Khralovich case”) — 7.5 years in a penal colony
- RUSAK Tatsiana and her daughter SAVACHKINA Hanna, as well as VOLCHAK Viktoryia (“Victory Day case”) — 7 years each
- PULINOVICH Aliaksandrа (“Black Nightingales case”) — 10 years and 3 months in a penal colony
- MATSVEYEVA Natallia (“OGSB case”) — 14 years in a penal colony
Propaganda videos and films are no longer available on YouTube — but the women used in them remain behind bars.
All women political prisoners in Belarus must be immediately released
Acknowledgment and Position
We thank YouTube for its response, the review conducted, and the decision to block the channels BelTA, ONT and STV.
We thank the Belarus Democratic Forum for its consistent and result-oriented work.
We support the Forum’s call to consider removing additional Belarusian resources that are part of a unified state propaganda information network, disseminating content that justifies repression in Belarus, including materials featuring political prisoners,
as well as supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and promoting xenophobia, antisemitism, and hate speech.
#FreeBelarusWomen #FreePoliticalPrisoners #FreeThemAll
#Women #BehindBars #PoliticalPrisoners