As Lukashenko gears up for new election, Belarusian political prisoners recount horrors they endured in his prisons

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko has pardoned political prisoners in run-up to presidential elections in 2025 .

The seventh wave of pardons issued in early December brings the total number of political prisoners released since July 2024 to 207 individuals.

More than 1,300 political prisoners remain in Belarus 's prisons, according to the Belarusian human rights organization.

Belarusian political prisoners' uniforms are marked with a yellow tag, making them easily identifiable from other inmates.

Political prisoners are frequently targeted and accused of fabricated offenses.

Torture in prison has increasingly taken the form of psychological abuse, according to prisoner Kiryl Kiryl .

"Somehow, I had a sense my life turned into hell with this latest development," she said.

Belarusian political prisoners face harsh treatment at the hands of prison authorities.

Prisoners have been placed in solitary confinement for extended periods on some of the country's most prominent political figures.

In December , Belarusian President Lukashenko pardoned 29 more political prisoners, including the elderly and those with chronic illnesses.