Nasta Loika

Anastasiya Yurewna "Nasta" Loika (; born 6 January 1989) is a Belarusian human rights activist. She was imprisoned between 2023 and 2026 on charges of inciting hatred and disrupting public order, during which time she was considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.

Activism Loika was known primarily for her work in human rights education, including analysing anti-extremism laws passed by the Belarusian government. She worked for various human rights organisations in Belarus, including Viasna and Human Constanta, the latter of which was liquidated by authorities during the government's crackdown on civil society groups between July and October 2021.

Loika was also known for her advocacy for the rights of migrants and stateless people living within Belarus.

Arrests and detention

August 2021 arrest In August 2021, during the Belarusian government's crackdown on human rights groups, Loika was arrested after activating her personal security alarm in Minsk.

October 2022 arrest, trial and imprisonment On 28 October 2022, Loika was arrested and detained by Belarusian authorities. Shortly afterwards, she appeared in a video posted online, in which she stated that she had "received funding from foreign organisations". Loika was detained for 15 days, following which she was rearrested and detained for a further 15 days; this happened four times in total between 28 October and 14 December.

During her detention, Loika stated that she had been tortured, including being hit with an electric shocker while being interviewed by officers from GUBOPiK; being forced to stand outside for eight hours in her underclothes; and being prevented from accessing warm clothing, medication and personal hygiene products. On 17 December, Loika filed a complaint with the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which subsequently requested that Belarusian authorities provide her with care to treat Loika's physical and mental health. On 20 June, judge Alena Shylko found Loika guilty, and sentenced her to seven years in prison at a penal colony in Gomel.

Between August 2025 and January 2026, Loika was held in solitary confinement. Dunja Mijatović, the Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe, described Loika's sentence as "another illustration of the systematic repression against civil society and critical voices". A joint statement by 15 human rights organisations, including Redress and Human Rights Watch, called for Loika's immediate release.

Recognition Loika was the 2022 laureate of the Belarusian Human Rights Defenders Awards' Human Rights Defender of the Year at the Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House in Vilnius, Lithuania in January 2023.