Lyudmila Hraznova

Ludmila Mikalaeuna Hraznova (née Prakapienka; Belarusian: ; Russian: ; born 8 June 1953 in Dzyarzhynsk) is a Belarusian economist, opposition politician, and human rights defender. She holds a Candidate of Sciences degree in economics and served as a legislator of the Supreme Council of Belarus during its 13th convocation. Since 2003, she has been the chair of the Belarusian Human Rights Alliance. She was deputy chair of the United Democratic Party of Belarus from 1992 to 1995 and of the United Civic Party from 2004 to 2008.

Hraznova was among the Supreme Council members who signed a motion for the impeachment of President Alexander Lukashenko. Since 1997, she has participated in court proceedings, supporting politically persecuted individuals. She has been arrested multiple times for participating in demonstrations and was recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience.

Biography Early life and family Ludmila Hraznova was born on 8 June 1953 in Dzyarzhynsk, Minsk region, within the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic of the Soviet Union. From 1975 to 1977, she pursued postgraduate studies in the field of "political economy of socialism". In 1980, she earned a Candidate of Sciences degree in economics in Minsk, with her dissertation titled Socialization of Labor as a Factor in Improving the Structure of the Socialist Production Collective. She worked as a lecturer and docent in the Department of Economic Sciences at Belarusian State University. and sworn in as a legislator on 9 January 1996. From 23 January 1996, she served as a member and later deputy chair of the Standing Committee on Budget, Taxes, Banks, and Finance. and one of three, alongside Alexander Dabravolski and , who opposed the formation of a union between Belarus and Russia. Hraznova did not join the newly formed House of Representatives of Belarus of the National Assembly. Her mandate in the Supreme Council, per the 1994 Belarusian Constitution, ended on 9 January 2001, and no further elections to the Supreme Council were held.

Later political activities From 2004, Hraznova served as deputy chair of the United Civic Party, overseeing its human rights section with support from party leader Anatoly Lebedko.

Hraznova ran unsuccessfully in several Belarusian elections. In the 2004 parliamentary election, she ran for the House of Representatives (3rd convocation) from Minsk's Partyzanski Electoral District No. 110 but did not win a seat. She attempted to run in the 2007 local elections for the Minsk City Council from the Piershamaiski Electoral District No. 53 but was not registered due to invalid signatures from other districts. She also ran unsuccessfully in the 2008 parliamentary election. Independent Belarusian media reported these elections as undemocratic, with only government-approved candidates elected. Registered in Lithuania due to political barriers in Belarus, On 24 March 2002, she was detained for participating in an unregistered protest in Minsk on Freedom Day. On 12 March 2003, she co-organized the People's March "For a Better Life!" in Minsk, a peaceful protest with economic demands, including lower utility fees, higher wages, pensions, and better business conditions. Hraznova and co-organizers Andrei Sannikov, , and Leanid Malakhau were each sentenced to 15 days in detention. Amnesty International recognized them as prisoners of conscience, and dozens of Belarusian activists, politicians, cultural figures, scholars, artists, and journalists signed a petition for their release.

Views Hraznova sees political activity and human rights advocacy as interconnected, with aligned goals. When forced to choose, she often prioritized human rights work. She considers signing the impeachment motion against Lukashenko and opposing the Belarus-Russia union as pivotal moments in her political career.

Personal life Hraznova is divorced and has a daughter. In her free time, she plays the piano, jogs, and tends to flowers.