"The dark walls of Belarusian prisons and penal colonies hold countless testimonies of the suffering of people who dared to raise their voices against the dictatorship. Their spirits are broken in confinement, and their bodies are tortured before the indifferent eyes of prison guards. Those who wear epaulets and issue orders for torture remain symbols of the regime’s impunity. But their time is coming to an end. For every scream, every drop of blood, and every broken life, they must be held accountable", — stated Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet and Head of the National Anti-Crisis Management (NAM).
As early as 2023, NAM submitted to the EU a list of prison and colony leaders for inclusion in the sanctions list. Since then, some of them have already been subjected to European personal sanctions, and their names have been etched into the history of international disgrace:
Andrei Palchyk — a pathological sadist and former head of Novopolotsk Penal Colony No. 1, as well as Ruslan Mashadiev — his deputy and now the new head of this colony;
Yevgeny Bubich — head of Penal Colony No. 2 in Bobruisk;
Alexander Kornienko — head of Penal Colony No. 17 in Shklov;
Pavel Kazakov — head of Prison No. 1 in Grodno, and Vasily Koleda — his deputy;
Viktor Dubrovka — head of Penal Colony No. 11 in Volkovysk;
Denis Tolstenkov — head of Women’s Penal Colony No. 4 in Gomel;
Andrei Tsedrik — head of Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1 in Minsk.
Thanks to the efforts of the NAM team, the following individuals have already been placed on the international wanted list:
Yevgeny Shapetko — head of the Akrestina Detention Center;
Gleb Dril — deputy head of the Akrestina Detention Center;
Dmitry Strebkov — head of Prison No. 8 in Zhodino.
The names of these individuals are already known to the world. However, many prison staff responsible for torture have, unfortunately, not yet been subjected to EU sanctions, but they may soon face restrictions as well, including:
Vadim Murashko — head of Penal Colony No. 13, a maximum-security facility in Hlybokaye, one of the strictest and most secretive colonies in Belarus, where politician Mikalai Statkevich is held, as well as a political prisoner who was shot in the knees by security forces during his arrest;
The Petrakovich Brothers:
Sergei Petrakovich — head of Penal Colony No. 9 in Horki, where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski is imprisoned. Previously, this colony held an entrepreneur who ended up in detention straight from intensive care after being beaten by security forces following one of the Sunday marches, as well as a political prisoner from Kazakhstan and many others.
Andrei Petrakovich — head of the state-owned production enterprise “IK 9,” operating at the colony, where political prisoners are exploited under conditions that violate all safety norms and regulations.
Staff of Pre-Trial Detention Center No. 1: Nikolai Mushkarov, Sergei Bereishik, and several other individuals responsible for crimes against innocent Belarusians.
Why is this important?
Every name on these lists represents a story of violence and pain. These individuals embody the lawlessness of a system that destroys the lives of thousands of Belarusians. But international sanctions are not just a punishment — they are a signal that their crimes will not go unanswered. This is a step toward justice, a step toward a future where no one can hide behind epaulets or a state position.
"Each signature under a sanctions list is a blow to impunity and a step toward freedom for all those imprisoned for political reasons. Belarus will no longer be a place where torture remains in the shadows and sadists rule, believing they will never face retribution. The day will come when all these names are spoken in a courtroom, and none of them will be able to claim they did not know what they were doing. On December 16, we await the announcement of a new sanctions package, in which we hope to see as many regime enforcers as possible", — emphasized Pavel Latushka.
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