Crime in Belarus

Crime in Belarus is regulated primarily by the Criminal Code of Belarus (Крымінальны кодэкс Рэспублікі Беларусь) and related legislation, including the Criminal Procedure Code of Belarus, the Criminal-Executive Code and the Code of Administrative Offences. Law enforcement is mainly carried out by the police (міліцыя) under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, while the judiciary operates pursuant to the Code on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges. Official crime statistics published by the National Statistical Committee indicate that registered crime in 2024 comprised predominantly property crime, fraud-related and cybercrime offences, with comparatively lower levels of violent crime. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]} The World Justice Project’s 2024 Rule of Law Index ranked Belarus 105th of 142 jurisdictions overall, making it the second lowest ranking in Europe, after Russia.^[6]

In 2023, Global Finance Magazine didn't rank Belarus in its "Safest Countries in the World" list, stating that the country was "suffering from political instability".^[7]

The U.S. Department of State’s travel advisory warns of risks including arbitrary enforcement of local laws and potential detention; such advisories reflect the issuing state’s assessment and may not capture overall crime rates.^[8]

Legal framework

The core criminal legislation is codified in the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus (1999, as amended), which defines offences and penalties and states the general tasks of criminal law. ^[1] Criminal proceedings are governed by the Criminal Procedure Code, which sets rules for pre-trial investigation, prosecution and trial. ^[2] The execution of sentences is regulated by the Criminal-Executive Code. ^[3] Minor offences are addressed in the Code of Administrative Offences. ^[9]

Institutions

Policing is carried out by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) through its criminal police and specialized departments. ^[10] The system of courts and the status of judges are established by the Code on the Judicial System and the Status of Judges. ^[4] The Department for the Execution of Punishments (Дэпартамент выканання пакаранняў, DViP) operates within the MIA and administers correctional institutions. ^[11]

Crime statistics

For international context, UNODC/World Bank series on intentional homicide indicate comparatively low homicide rates in recent years in Belarus relative to global averages (latest points vary by source year).^[12][13]

Official data compiled by Belstat (based on MIA reporting) for 2024 show: total registered crimes 73,270; thefts 14,654; frauds 12,774; offences against computer security 7,086; drug-related crimes 3,978; and 175 cases of homicide and attempted homicide. Road traffic accidents numbered 3,453 with 434 fatalities and 3,804 injured persons; 485 children were recorded as victims in traffic accidents. ^[5]

Types of crime

Property and fraud

Property crime (notably theft) and fraud constitute a large share of recorded offending nationwide, according to Belstat’s 2024 infographic. ^[5]

Corruption

Legal framework and recent developments

Belarus’s anti-corruption framework is anchored in the Law On Combating Corruption (No. 305-Z of 15 July 2015), which—inter alia—introduces income and asset declarations for certain categories of public officials and sets restrictions to prevent conflicts of interest.^[14] In January 2024, Belarus adopted Law No. 348-Z, denouncing several Council of Europe anti-corruption instruments (including the Criminal Law and Civil Law Conventions on Corruption and the Additional Protocol) and terminating the agreement on privileges and immunities related to GRECO.^[15]

Perceptions and international rankings

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2024 (Transparency International), Belarus scored 33 out of 100 and ranked 114th of 180 countries worldwide (a decline of 4 points from 2023).^[16] Transparency International’s regional analysis for Eastern Europe and Central Asia notes that Belarus has declined by 14 points since 2020.^[17] For broader governance context, the World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators show Belarus at about the 33rd percentile for Control of Corruption in 2023.^[18]

Cybercrime

Belstat reports a substantial volume of offences “against computer security” (злачынствы супраць камп'ютарнай бяспекі) in 2024 (7,086 cases). ^[5]

Independent monitoring has noted increased use of criminal and administrative provisions related to “extremism” against online expression, alongside growth in cases tied to digital activity.^[19]

Drug-related crime

Illicit drug offences are criminalized under Article 328 of the Criminal Code (незаконны абарот наркатычных сродкаў, псіхатропных рэчываў, іх прэкурсораў і аналагаў). Penalties vary from restriction of liberty to long prison terms depending on aggravating circumstances. ^[1] In 2024, 3,978 drug-related crimes were recorded. ^[5]

Human trafficking

Belarus declares combatting human trafficking as a foreign-policy and domestic priority and participates in relevant UN initiatives; the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the World Day against Trafficking in Persons at Belarus’s initiative in 2013. ^[20][21]

In its 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the U.S. Department of State ranked Belarus as Tier 3, stating the government did not meet the minimum standards and was not making significant efforts to do so; the report referenced Criminal Code Article 181 and provided recent investigation and victim-identification figures.^[22]

Transnational crime

Interpol describes Belarus as a land-linked transit country targeted by crime groups smuggling illicit goods between Asian and European markets, with principal challenges including trafficking in drugs, people, weapons and works of art, as well as illegal migration and terrorism-related threats.^[23]

Law enforcement and public order

According to the official government portal, the Belarusian police (міліцыя) under the MIA is responsible for public security and crime prevention. ^[24]

Penalties and prisons

Sentences are executed in accordance with the Criminal-Executive Code; correctional institutions are administered by the Department for the Execution of Punishments of the MIA. ^[3][11] According to the World Prison Brief, the latest available official snapshot (31 December 2018) recorded a prison population of 32,556 in Belarus (345 per 100,000 population), with women comprising about 10.8% of prisoners that year. Figures may have changed since and are updated when new official data become available.^[25]

Death penalty

Belarus remains the only country in Europe that retains and applies the death penalty in practice.^[26] Amnesty’s global reporting recorded no executions in Belarus in 2023 but noted a death sentence imposed that year; 2024 reporting continued to list Belarus as a retentionist country.^[27][28] In June–July 2024, international media reported the death sentence of German national Rico Krieger in Belarus, drawing consular and human rights attention to the country’s continued use of capital punishment.^[29][30]

Criticism and reports

Belarusian human-rights organizations monitor detention conditions and criminal-justice practices. Their Belarusian-language publications have reported, inter alia, on prison conditions and language rights issues in court proceedings. These accounts are disputed by the authorities but form part of the public record. ^[31][32]

See also

• Human rights in Belarus