Release student Marfa Rabkova, wrongfully imprisoned for five years

Scholars at Risk sent the below letter to Belarusian authorities, urging them to secure the immediate release of Ms. Marfa Rabkova on the fifth year anniversary of her arrest. Take action by signing a letter here.

Via email 

The Honorable Lt.-Gen. Ivan Kubrakou
Minister of the Interior
Vul. Haradski Val 4,
Minsk 220030, Belarus

September 17, 2025

RE: Release student Marfa Rabkova, wrongfully imprisoned for five years

Your Excellency:

I write on behalf of Scholars at Risk to express grave concern for Marfa Rabkova, a student at European Humanities University (EHU), Lithuania, who has been imprisoned in Belarus since September 17, 2020. Today marks five years since Ms. Rabkova was detained on unsubstantiated charges in apparent retaliation for her peaceful exercise of the rights to free expression and association.

Scholars at Risk (SAR) is an international network of more than 600 universities and colleges in over 40 countries dedicated to protecting the human rights of scholars around the world, and to raising awareness, understanding of, and respect for the principles of academic freedom and its constituent freedoms of expression, opinion, thought, association, and travel.

Ms. Rabkova is a third-year student at the International Law and European Union Law program at EHU and the coordinator of the Volunteer Service at Human Rights Center Viasna. In that capacity, Ms. Rabkova monitored the nationwide protests calling for President Lukashenko’s resignation. On September 17, 2020, officers from the Main Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime and Corruption (GUBOPiK) arrested Ms. Rabkova and her husband, Vadzim Zharomsky. The GUBOPiK officers searched Ms. Rabkova and Mr. Zharomsky’s home, seized their personal belongings, and later released Mr. Zharomsky.

Authorities extended Ms. Rabkova’s pretrial detention multiple times and indicted her under ten articles of the Criminal Code for allegedly organising criminal groups between 2016 and 2020. On September 6, 2022, the Minsk City Court sentenced Ms. Rabkova to 15 years in prison on charges relating to “organising, participating in and training others to participate in mass riots,” “inciting social hostility towards the government,” and “involvement in a criminal organisation.” The trial was closed to the public and lasted for four months. On 28 February 2023, the Supreme Court reduced Ms. Rabkova’s prison sentence to 14 years and nine months after the statute of limitations for ‘defilement of structures and destruction of property’ expired.

We welcome any additional information that may clarify our understanding of these events. Absent this, the facts appear to indicate that Ms. Rabkova’s conviction and lengthy prison sentence—in retaliation for exercising her rights to freedom of expression, assembly, and association—suggest a troubling disregard for international standards of due process and a fair trial as guaranteed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Belarus is a party. Any charges for what we can only assume–absent clear public evidence from the state–to be nonviolent expressive conduct is clearly excessive and contrary to international standards.

SAR therefore respectfully urges you to direct the appropriate authorities to intervene and ensure that any charges related to Ms. Rabkova’s freedom of expression and assembly are reversed. In the interim, we ask that you ensure her access to family and guarantee that her case is addressed in a manner consistent with internationally recognized standards of due process, fair trial, and detention, in accordance with Belarus’ obligations under international law.

We appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,
Robert Quinn
Executive Director

CC:

The Honorable Alexander Lukashenko
President of the Republic of Belarus

The Honorable Dmitry Gora
Chair of the Investigative Committee

The Honorable Vladimir Makei
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus

The Honorable Andrei Shved
General Prosecutor of Belarus

The Honorable Evgeny Kovalenko
Minister of Justice of Belarus

Permanent Mission of the Republic of Belarus to the United Nations

The Honorable Volker Türk
High Commissioner for Human Rights

The Honorable Kaja Kallas
European Commission High Representative/Vice President
The Honorable Małgorzata Gosiewska
Vice-Chair of the European Parliament Delegation for relations with Belarus

The Honorable Nils Muižnieks
Special Rapporteur on Belarus

The Honorable António Guterres
Secretary-General of the United Nations

The Honorable Michael O’Flaherty
Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe

The Honorable Kajsa Ollongren
EU Special Representative (EUSR) for human rights
European Council

The Honorable Marco Rubio
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

The Honorable Mounir Satouri
Chairperson
European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI)