It is no secret that Belarusian human rights defender Olga Karach is one of the personal enemies of Alexander Lukashenko and among the most persecuted activists in Belarus. Known for her unwavering stance on human rights, she is the only Belarusian human rights advocate who defends the right of Belarusian men to refuse military service and to abstain from participating in the war in Ukraine. Additionally, she has taken an uncompromising position against the deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus.

In Belarus, there is an unofficial campaign among various government and security agencies to classify Olga Karach and her affiliated organizations as extremist. Her social media presence is criminalized, with individuals facing 2-3 years of imprisonment simply for interacting with her online posts. As of March 2025, she has been officially declared an extremist 19 times by different state bodies.

Among the state institutions that have labeled Karach and her affiliated organizations as extremist are:

• KGB (State Security Committee of Belarus)
• Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD)
• Central District Court of Minsk
• Zheleznodorozhny District Court in Vitebsk
• Krupsky District Court
• Molodechno District Court
• Gomel District Court

Notably, the Central District Court of Minsk has made this designation four times.

On March 13, 2025, the Lida District Court of Grodno Region joined this wave of repression by declaring Karach’s Instagram account “extremist information content.” This ruling serves as yet another example of the systematic crackdown on free speech in Belarus.

In light of this, supporting her cause by following her Instagram account (@olga.karatch) is a meaningful act of solidarity with her fight for human rights.

Information products were recognised as extremist Instagram-account ‘olga.karatch’ with the identifier https://www.instagram.com/olga.karatch/. Decision of the court of Lida district of Grodno region of 13 March 2025. Subject to immediate execution in accordance with Article 314 of the Code of Civil Procedure

These new repressions come on the heels of earlier actions taken against Olga Karach. In July 2024, the Brest Regional Court sentenced her in absentia to 12 years in prison and imposed a fine of 600,000 Belarusian rubles (approximately 170,000 euros). The charges against her included:

• Conspiracy or other acts aimed at seizing state power (Article 357, Part 1 of the Criminal Code)
• Creating an extremist organization (Article 361-1, Part 1 of the Criminal Code)
• Leading an extremist organization

Additionally, on March 3, 2023, the Belarusian KGB placed Olga Karach on its list of individuals allegedly involved in terrorist activities. Her name appeared on the official KGB website, branding her a “dangerous terrorist.”

The ongoing repression against Karach is a stark reminder of the extreme measures taken by the Belarusian regime to silence dissent and human rights activism. Despite these pressures, Olga Karach continues her advocacy, proving that the struggle for justice and human rights cannot be easily suppressed.

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