Documented cases

4 people held for political reasons in Russia, Belarus, Georgia and Central Asia. Search by name, or filter by country, charge, arrest date and sentence.

Country

Urgency

Samvel Babayan

Samvel Babayan, a 53-year-old Jehovah's Witness from Samara, was sentenced to seven years in prison. He has been held in pre-trial detention since September despite suffering from serious illnesses, including a tumor.

HEALTH CONCERNS

LAST UPDATED · OCT 15, 2026

Mikhail Kondratyev

A resident of Samara, born in 1990, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for high treason and justifying terrorism. He was accused of sending photos and videos of energy infrastructure to a Ukrainian media propagandist.

LAST UPDATED · OCT 7, 2026

Andrey Shabanov

Saxophonist Andrey Shabanov had his six-year prison sentence upheld for social media posts criticizing the government and allegedly calling for support of the AFU. He reports severe physical deterioration and lack of medical care in SIZO.

TORTURE REPORTED

LAST UPDATED · NOV 3, 2026

Polina Evtushenko

Polina Evtushenko was sentenced to 14 years in prison following a denunciation by an acquaintance. She is accused of spreading anti-war content and attempting to recruit someone to the Freedom of Russia Legion, though she claims she was actually discouraging participation in the war.

LAST UPDATED · NOV 9, 2026

Convicted

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Letter-writing guides: Russia · Belarus

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A plain, paginated index of all 4 documented cases — every record in one list, no filters.