Repressions in Belarus do not end but become hidden. Over the past year and a half, 569 political prisoners have been released by pardon and due to new sentences for political reasons, the total number of political prisoners remains high and almost unchanged. What was marked by the repressive policy of the Belarusian state in 2025? How does it differ from previous years? Is the persecution mitigating, and do current trends allow us to hope for the release of all political prisoners in 2026? Belsat asked these questions to the lawyer of the Human Rights Center Viasna, Pavel Sapelka.