human rights defender
Maryna Zolatava
Actions and Campaigns
Organization affiliation
- TUT.BY
HRD's year of birth
1977
HRD's Gender
Woman
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Pardoned
HRD's bio and work
Maryna Zolatava was the editor-in-chief of TUT.BY, the largest Belarusian independent online media. She joined TUT.BY in 2004 and soon became its editor-in-chief.
Detained since
May 18, 2021
Date of release
Dec 13, 2025
Charge(s)
- Other
- Subversion
Sentence
12 years
Latitude: 52.43
Longitude: 30.94
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Europe: Eastern Europe
Location of detention - City/Town
Homieĺ
Location of detention - Facility
Penal colony No. 4. 246035, Homieĺ, vulica Antoshkina 4
Recent case update / evolution
On December 13, 2025, Maryna Zolatava was released after being pardoned. This happened after two days of negotiations with a U.S. delegation led by John Coale. As a result, 123 people were pardoned.
Any other relevant documents
Imprisonment of journalists in Belarus- EDM (Early Day Motion) 1661 https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/61411/imprisonment-of-journalists-in-belarus
Documented by
