Monitoring of the situation with freedom of association and the status of civil society organizations in the Republic of Belarus November 2025
Repressions in Belarus show no signs of abating. Despite selected acts of pardon (during the monitoring period, two Catholic priests were released from places of detention under a presidential pardon) and the completion of full prison terms by some political prisoners, more than one hundred representatives of civil society organizations (CSOs) continue to be held in detention facilities.
The authorities continue to abuse anti-extremism legislation to suppress civic activity: organizations and initiatives are designated as extremist formations; their representatives and individuals involved in their activities are labeled as leaders and participants of extremist formations; and information resources are classified as extremist materials. The practice of bringing criminal charges against individuals who provide material support to CSOs and their target groups also persists, allegedly for “financing extremist activity.”
As of November 30, 2025, according to monitoring conducted by Lawtrend, the overall losses in the civil society sector since the post-election period of 2020 amount to at least 1,984 institutionalized non-profit organizations (public associations, trade unions, political parties, foundations, non-governmental institutions, associations).
Several draft laws have been submitted to the House of Representatives containing provisions affecting non-profit organizations (NPOs), including the establishment of a tax benefit for Belarusian corporate donors providing support to specific NPOs (Tax Code), the procedure for the reorganization and liquidation of public associations, and the procedure for the creation and liquidation of political parties (amendments to the Laws of the Republic of Belarus “On Public Associations” and “On Political Parties”).
The plan for preparing draft laws for 2026 has been approved. The plan includes developing several draft laws of particular relevance to NPOs, including the draft Law “On Foreign Gratuitous Aid,” amendments to the Law “On Trade Unions,” and the concept for the Law “On Volunteer Activity.”
Belarus submitted its report under the Universal Periodic Review procedure. As a result of the review, Belarus received 332 recommendations, of which it supported 128. It noted 71 recommendations and stated that it would consider the remaining recommendations, to which it must respond no later than the 61st session of the Human Rights Council (the session will run from late February to early April 2026). Among the recommendations accepted by Belarus is the expansion of CSOs’ participation in decision-making processes in accordance with national legislation. At least 15 additional recommendations that Belarus considered concern freedom of association and the situation of CSOs.
Liquidation of non-profit organizations
During the monitoring period, it became known that decisions on the forced liquidation of two public associations had been adopted: (1) the Slutsk Sports Public Association “Kyokushin Kaikan Karate” and (2) the Public Association of Billiards Sport Enthusiasts “BelBilliardSport.” In both cases, the liquidation decisions were issued by the Minsk Regional Court.
Decisions on voluntary liquidation were adopted for at least five NPOs: two non-state institutions (one of which was registered on October 26, 2022), two public associations, and one association. As before, the main reasons for the voluntary dissolution of NGOs remain the widespread repression in the country, the unfavorable legal environment, and pressure on civil society, including specific organizations, their leaders, members, and employees.
As of November 30, 2025, according to Lawtrend’s monitoring, since 2021, 1,216 NPOs have been recorded as in the process of forced liquidation, including lawsuits filed by registering authorities in court for liquidation or those forcibly removed from the USR (the Unified State Register). Regarding at least 768 NPOs (public associations, associations, foundations, institutions, and a political party), according to Lawtrend’s monitoring, the participants/founders independently decided to undergo liquidation.
Administrative and criminal prosecution of the leadership and members of civil society organizations, as well as other forms of pressure on civil society organizations
In connection with the performance of their professional activities, participation in CSOs, and civic activism, at least five representatives of human rights organizations, dozens of representatives of CSOs and religious organizations, and 20 representatives of trade unions and the labor movement continue to serve prison sentences[1].
Legislation on countering extremism continues to be actively used against representatives of CSOs. Criminal prosecution for providing financial assistance to NPOs and their target groups has become widespread.
By the end of November, the List of Organizations, Formations, and Individual Entrepreneurs Involved in Extremist Activities included 317 entities. Among those designated as extremist formations is the Volunteer Center «Сустрэча» (“Sustrecha”), a community of Belarusian volunteers in Ukraine (based on a decision of the Ministry of Internal Affairs dated November 5, 2025).
During the monitoring period, the Republican List of Extremist Materials was expanded to include, among others:
- the Instagram page of the human rights center “Viasna” hotline;
- the Instagram page “getdonatehelp”;
- the Telegram channel and Instagram pages “Розовые Косынки / Ружовыя хусткi” (Pink Scarves);
- the Facebook page “Вольны Беларускі Ўніверсітэт / Free Belarus University”; and
- the TikTok page “Маладая Грамада” (Young Gramada).
Legislation
By Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of November 25, 2025, No. 672[2], requirements are established for legal entities wishing to conduct public opinion polls and disseminate their results through the mass media, on the internet, and news aggregators. The resolution also regulates the procedure for maintaining the register of accredited legal entities authorized to conduct public opinion polls.
It is established that public opinion polls relating to republican referenda, elections, and the socio-political situation in the country, as well as the dissemination of their results in the mass media, on internet resources, and news aggregators, shall be carried out by accredited legal entities. The Public Opinion Polls Commission (the Commission) conducts accreditation under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus.
The document defines the following requirements for legal entities applying to conduct public opinion polls and disseminate their results in the mass media, on internet resources, and news aggregators:
- the presence of at least two individuals employed under labour contracts or carrying out activities under civil law contracts, possessing higher education and at least three years of work experience in the specialty “Sociology” (“Political Science”), or having experience in the field of sociology (political science) related to the conduct of public opinion polls, confirmed by extracts (copies) from employment records and/or documents conferring academic degrees and titles;
- at least three years of experience in the field of sociological research;
- implementation of mathematical processing of the obtained empirical data;
- the absence of interested persons (owners of their property, participants, managers) in the lists of:
- organizations and individuals, including individual entrepreneurs, involved in terrorist activities;
- organizations, formations, individual entrepreneurs, citizens of the Republic of Belarus, foreign citizens, or stateless persons involved in extremist activities.
The document also defines the procedure for submitting documents for accreditation, matters related to the activities of the Commission, the procedure for decision-making by the Commission, the procedure for maintaining the register of accredited legal entities authorized to conduct public opinion polls and disseminate their results in the mass media, on internet resources, and news aggregators, as well as the procedures for terminating accreditation.
Legislative initiatives
On October 31, 2025, the Council of Ministers submitted to the House of Representatives a draft law “On Amendments to Laws,”[3] which proposes amendments to the Tax Code. These amendments include provisions affecting, among other things, NPOs’ financial activities. It is suggested that decisions on the collection of taxes, fees (duties), and penalties shall not be issued in relation to charitable accounts that are opened for the collection, storage, and use of funds, including foreign currency, received as foreign gratuitous aid, gratuitous (sponsorship) assistance, or donations (currently, the exemption applies only to foreign gratuitous aid).
The list of NPOs to which Belarusian legal entities may provide gratuitous assistance with a corresponding exemption from corporate income tax (up to 10 percent of the gross profit for the relevant tax period) is expanded to include the Social and Charitable Institution “KinderVita” and the International Charitable Public Association “UniHelp,” bringing the total number of eligible NPOs to 18 after the adoption of these amendments.
The draft law also significantly lowers the monetary threshold for tax-exempt gratuitous transfers between individuals. Under current law, an individual may receive up to 11,516 Belarusian rubles from another natural person (who is not a close relative, in-law, guardian, or custodian), including from abroad, without paying personal income tax. The draft reduces this threshold to 6,000 Belarusian rubles.
Another draft law “On Amendments to Laws”[4], proposes further amendments to the Laws of the Republic of Belarus “On Public Associations” and “On Political Parties.” For public associations, the amendments concern their procedures for reorganization and liquidation. It is proposed that a republican public association may be transformed into a political party.
The amendments also establish that, when a court decision liquidates a public association, its monetary assets and other property, after all creditors’ claims have been satisfied, shall be transferred by the liquidation commission (liquidator) or by the registering authority to the state budget. The registering authority is required to enforce the court decision on liquidation if, within two months of the court decision entering into legal force, a liquidation commission or liquidator has not been appointed (this rule implements recent amendments to the Civil Code). In this case, the public association is liquidated by the registering authority in a simplified procedure without the creation of a liquidation commission.
With respect to political parties, the draft introduces a new article that regulates the establishment and functioning of an organizational committee for the creation of a political party. Amendments are also proposed to the procedures for the reorganization and liquidation of political parties, mirroring the changes proposed for public associations.
The draft Law “On the Republican Budget for 2026”[5], also adopted in the first reading on November 24, as in previous years, provides for the possibility of allocating funds from the republican budget to public associations by decision of the President of the Republic of Belarus. The draft law regulates the provision of funds to two public associations: the Public Association “Union of Writers of Belarus” (funding amount is 774,727.0 BYN) and the Public Association “Belarusian Republican Youth Union” (funding amount is 16,436,222.0 BYN).
According to the plan for preparing draft legislative acts for 2026, approved by presidential decree on November 18, 2025, 33 draft laws are envisaged for the coming year.
Among these drafts, the Law “On Foreign Gratuitous Aid” is of particular importance for the non-profit sector and for the exercise of freedom of association, as it will replace the current decree-based regulation of foreign gratuitous aid and will define the framework for receiving and using external funding by CSOs. The bodies responsible for preparing this draft law are the Office of the President of the Republic of Belarus and the NCLLI. It is expected that the draft law will be prepared in November 2026 and submitted to the House of Representatives in February 2027.
The plan also envisages amending the Law “On Trade Unions,” which has been amended eight times since its adoption in 2022, though most amendments have been minor. Responsibility for preparing this draft law is assigned to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus, the NCLLI, and the Federation of Trade Unions of Belarus. It is expected that the draft will be prepared in May 2026 and submitted to the House of Representatives in July 2026.
Another notable initiative is the adoption of the Environmental Code of the Republic of Belarus[6], a new codified act. A draft version of the Environmental Code has already been prepared and was submitted for public discussion from September 11 to September 21, 2025. The draft establishes that environmental legal relations may involve public associations and other legal entities. Article 27 of the draft regulates the rights and obligations of public associations operating in ecological protection.
The plan also anticipates amendments to several normative acts affecting NPO activities. According to the order, amendments will be introduced to the Laws “On Local Government and Self-Government in the Republic of Belarus,” “On Appeals of Citizens and Legal Entities,” “On Labor Protection,” legislation on personal data protection, on labor relations and related matters, as well as to the Tax Code, the Healthcare Code, and the Code on Architectural, Urban Planning, and Construction Activities.
The legislative plan also includes preparing a concept for another essential act for the non-profit sector, the Law “On Volunteer Activity,” as volunteer initiatives remain a key pillar of CSO sustainability and functionality under restricted operating conditions. In Belarus, volunteer activity is still only partially regulated, creating legal uncertainty for both NPOs and volunteers. At the same time, it is crucial to avoid excessive regulation of volunteer activity and volunteers themselves, and to ensure proper attention is given to developing not only the law itself but also related legal acts, including necessary amendments to the Tax Code and a comprehensive revision of legislation on gratuitous aid. Notably, preparation of a draft law “On Volunteer Activity” was already included in the 2020 legislative plan, and the initial draft received substantial criticism from CSOs. According to the 2026 legislative plan, the concept of the draft Law “On Volunteer Activity” is to be prepared in April and submitted to the President in October 2026.
[1] Examples of the presence of representatives of civil society organizations in places of deprivation of liberty, information about inclusion in extremist and/or terrorist lists can be found in Lawtrend’s monthly reviews on the situation with freedom of association and the situation of civil society organizations, for example, for May 2024. Information about detained members of trade unions and activists of the trade union movement is published according to Salidarnast.
[2] The legal act is available only in Russian.
[3] The draft law is available only in Russian (hyperlink).
[4] The draft law is available only in Russian.
[5] The draft law is available only in Russian.
[6] The draft law is available only in Russian (hyperlink).