Marfa Rabkova faces up to 20 years in prison

UPDATE: On September 6, the Minsk City Court sentenced Marfa Rabkova to 15 years in prison. Please continue to take action,

Human rights defender Marfa Rabkova coordinates the Volunteer Service of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” in Belarus. She was detained on September 17, 2020 and charged with ‘training and other preparation of people for participation in mass riots’, ‘incitement of racial, national, religious or other social hatred or discord committed by a group’, and ‘membership of a criminal organization’. In the following months, additional counts were added and she now faces up to 20 years in prison. Her trial, together with nine other co-defendants, began on April 25, 2022.

Marfa Rabkova was targeted for her legitimate human rights work, such as observing demonstrations and documenting evidence of human rights violations, including torture and other ill-treatment of peaceful protesters by law enforcement officials. While in detention, Marfa Rabkova's health has deteriorated significantly due to lack of medical care. She urgently needs medical attention, including for dental issues and the long-term effects of Covid-19.

Amnesty International is calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Marfa Rabkova.  

Marfa Rabkova  (PHOTO: Spring96.org) 

The detention of Marfa Rabkova and other activists came in the context of a drastic deterioration in the human rights situation in Belarus. During the electoral campaign period and following the presidential election on August 9, 2020, there were mass peaceful protests against the widely disputed official results as well as against police violence and widespread human rights violations. Throughout, the authorities engaged in an escalating campaign against the opposition and all dissenting voices. Thousands of people were arbitrarily arrested by police, an overwhelming majority of them peaceful protesters or bystanders, and many apprehended in abduction-style arrests by masked plain-clothed men.

Members of Viasna have faced harassment from the authorities, including administrative arrest, arbitrary detentions and attempted prosecution in connection with their human rights activities. In addition to Marfa Rabkova, six other  Viasna members are currently in prison: chairperson Ales Bialiatski, deputy chairperson Valiantsin Stefanovich, lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich, head of Viasna's office in Homiel Leanid Sudalenka, volunteers Tatsiana Lasitsa and Andrei Chapiuk. 

On September 17, 2021, dozens of Belarusian and international human rights organizations including Amnesty International, launched a campaign of solidarity with the imprisoned human rights activists of Viasna, #FreeViasna.