Belarusian journalist facing up to 15 years in prison on treason charges

New York, October 21, 2025—The Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Belarusian authorities to drop all charges against journalist Pavel Dabravolski, who was detained January 22, and faces up to 15 years in prison on “treason” charges, according to a October 18 report by the independent news outlet Pozirk.

Dabravolski’s detention was first made public August 26 by Belarus-based human rights group Viasna and Pozirk. 

“Belarusian journalist Pavel Dabravolski’s detention on treason charges is further evidence that Belarusian authorities equate journalism with crime and are prepared to punish journalists with the most severe penalties,” said Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s Europe and Central Asia program coordinator. “Authorities should immediately drop all charges against Dabravolski and release him, along with all imprisoned journalists.”

Pozirk reported that Dabravolski was detained “in connection with his professional activities” — under Article 356, part 1 of the Criminal Code — and is being held by the Belarusian State Security Committee, or KGB, in a pretrial detention center.

Dabravolski had worked with independent news agency BelaPAN before the KGB declared it an “extremist group” in November 2021, Pozirk reported. According to Viasna, Dabravolski is a former journalist with Naviny.by, a news website affiliated with BelaPAN. He had previously worked for both Belarusian and foreign media, including the independent Ukrainian news outlet New Voice of Ukraine, according to the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ), an exiled advocacy and trade group. 

Dabravolski was first detained while covering 2020 protests demanding the resignation of President Aleksandr Lukashenko, Viasna reported. According to Pozirk, he was arrested for 15 days in Minsk in October 2020. He leftBelarus in the fall of 2021 and returned to Minsk in October 2024.

CPJ emailed the KGB for comment on Dabravolski’s detention but did not receive a reply.

Belarus was Europe’s worst jailer of journalists with at least 33 behind bars in CPJ’s 2024 prison census. At least three journalists — Dzianis Ivashyn, Katsiaryna Andreyeva, Andrei Aliaksandrau — were sentenced on treason charges. CPJ is investigating the case of freelancer Danil Palianski, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted on July 25, 2025, on treason charges.