For several years, the Lukashenka regime has been trying to use Interpol as a tool for political persecution. People who took part in peaceful protests and supported democratic change have been targeted under fabricated charges. Minsk knows that Interpol will not add individuals to its wanted lists for politically motivated charges, so it tries to fabricate criminal cases under economic or drug-related articles.
In 2020, Aleh (name changed for safety reasons) peacefully protested against election fraud. In 2022, he was put on the wanted list in Belarus, detained, tortured, and had his documents confiscated. After that, Aleh fled Belarus and was granted protection in Poland.
In 2024, Polish police detained him on an Interpol charge that turned out to be fabricated. However, the Polish Court refused to extradite him to the regime, recognizing that he faced a real risk of torture, inhuman treatment, and violations of his fundamental rights in Belarus.
The Office’s Legal Team filed an official request with the Interpol Commission for the Control of Files (CCF), providing a full set of evidence and legal reasoning.
As a result:
- On August 8, 2025, the Interpol General Secretariat officially confirmed that Aleh is no longer in Interpol’s databases.
- On August 12, the CCF confirmed this result in an official letter.
Leanid Marozau, Advisor to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya on Legal Affairs: “The regime’s attempts to use Interpol to persecute dissenters are not only an abuse of international law but also a direct threat to the safety of Belarusians in exile. We will oppose this at every stage and urge people to contact us in similar cases”.
If you or someone you know has fallen victim to the regime’s abuse of Interpol, please contact us at legal@tsikhanouskaya.org
