human rights defender
Ihar Karnei
Actions and Campaigns
Organization affiliation
- BAJ
- Radio Svaboda
HRD's year of birth
1968
HRD's Gender
Man
Type of HRD
- Journalist/Blogger
HRD's thematic area of engagement
- Civil and political rights
HRD's geographical origin
Urban
Current Status
Released
HRD's bio and work
Ihar Karnei worked as a journalist for Radio Svaboda and is known for his essays on the cultural and historical heritage of Belarus, as well as for his travel blogging.
Detained since
Jul 17, 2023
Date of release
Jun 21, 2025
Charge(s)
- Extremism
Sentence
3 years and 10 months
Latitude: 54.2
Longitude: 30.27
Geolocation of detention
Country or area of detention
Region of detention
- Europe: Eastern Europe
Location of detention - City/Town
Škloŭ
Location of detention - Facility
Penal colony No. 17. 213004, Škloŭ, vulica 1-ja Zavodskaja 8
Recent case update / evolution
On June 21, 2025, 14 political prisoners, including Ihar, were released. This pardon followed a visit to Minsk by Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy. The released prisoners were immediately transported to Lithuania.
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