Belarusian security forces collect DNA from relatives of regime opponents

Belarusian security forces have been collecting DNA samples from opponents of the Lukashenko regime for several years, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reports.

Journalists are aware of at least several specific cases in which DNA samples were taken from relatives of journalists who are forced to work from outside Belarus. The first such cases occurred in 2024.

"A politically motivated criminal case was initiated against me. My mother was summoned to the Investigative Committee. Some time after that, she was summoned to the IC again to provide a DNA sample. She was out of town at the time and said she couldn't come herself. So the IC investigators came to her village and took a saliva sample on the spot. They also said something along the lines of: 'If something happens to your son, it will be easier to identify him,' — said a journalist from a non-state media outlet.

Another journalist also revealed a similar procedure involving her parents. They were summoned to the Investigative Committee, with the claim that a DNA sample of their daughter was needed. "When the parents asked whether they could refuse to go to the Investigative Committee to provide DNA, the investigators replied that they would take the sample from them regardless," — the journalist said.

Notably, DNA data is already being collected from those convicted in political cases. And in some cases — also from relatives of political refugees who have left Belarus. This was told to Svaboda by lawyer and deputy chairman of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Aleh Aheyeu.

The Criminal Code of Belarus contains Article 203-1: "Illegal actions with regard to information about private life and personal data." This carries a penalty of up to three years of imprisonment, when the offender is not a public official.