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Home / Writers at Risk / Valeria Kostyugova
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Valeria Kostyugova

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Political analyst and writer Kostyugova is editor of the online community Our Opinion and its annual publication Belarusian Yearbook. In June 2021, she was detained in a home raid and later charged with baseless crimes including “conspiracy” with the aim of “seizing state power.” Her trial began in February 2023, after 586 days in detention. On March 17, 2023, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison. She was pardoned and released in March 2026 along with 250 other political prisoners. She remains in Belarus.