P700 / / Belarus
Freed Belarus political prisoners get documents in Lithuania
All of the September group who chose to stay in Lithuania are now legalised and have their documents. What it means, and how to help.
Belarusian political prisoners released in September 2026 and brought to Lithuania have now been legalised there and received their documents. Of the group of 25 freed on 16 September, 13 chose to stay in Lithuania, 10 went to Poland and asked for international protection, and two went to other countries. A second group of 13, most of them women, was released on 24 September.
It is a small, bureaucratic piece of news. For the people involved it is the difference between being stuck and being able to start again.
Belarus political prisoners released this autumn
According to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya's office, September was marked by the release of dozens of political prisoners: 25 on 16 September, who were taken straight to Lithuania, and 13 more on 24 September. Many people released from Belarusian prisons in recent years have been pushed over the border with no documents at all, which is why legal status is usually the first and slowest problem to solve.
This time it went faster. On 7 October Reform.news reported that everyone from the September group who decided to stay in Lithuania has already been legalised and received documents. That was the summary given by Vytis Jurkonis, head of the Freedom House office in Vilnius, at a meeting with Tsikhanouskaya.
"Lithuania supported and continues to support Belarusians, both those who suffered repression and those forced to leave Belarus because of persecution."
Tsikhanouskaya said this after the meeting, thanking Lithuania's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior and the Migration Department for handling legalisation and documents quickly.
Why it matters
- Documents are freedom of movement. Without them you cannot rent a flat, open a bank account, see a doctor or take a job.
- Choice was respected. People could pick where to go. Some stayed in Vilnius, some joined family and friends in Poland.
- It shows the support network works. Freedom House, Tsikhanouskaya's office and Lithuanian institutions were prepared in advance, so people did not spend months in limbo.
Former prisoners supporting each other
Freedom is the start, not the end. Nasha Niva reported that Belarusian women who went through political repression have created an association called «Побач» ("Nearby") to support one another and to defend their rights and dignity. Peer support from people who know prison from the inside is something no institution can replace.
Released prisoners usually arrive with almost nothing. Nasha Niva also published a call from activist Nasta Bazar asking Belarusians to help freed political prisoners with essential items. If you are in Vilnius and want to help, follow the organisations that work with released prisoners and ask what is needed this week, rather than guessing.
What this means for Vilnius
Vilnius has become home for a large part of the Belarusian diaspora, and now for a few more people who were behind bars only weeks ago. The most useful things you can do are ordinary: help someone find a room, a job interview, a doctor who speaks their language, or a place where they are simply welcome. At ZOLAK we try to be one of those places: zolak.lt.
Hundreds of people are still political prisoners in Belarus. Every release is a reason for quiet joy, and a reminder of who is still waiting.