Published on 23-03-2026, Last modified on 23-03-2026

Hanna Liubakova to Receive Amnesty International Chair 2026

We are pleased to announce that Hanna Liubakova has been awarded the 2026 Amnesty International Chair.

Since 2007, Ghent University has awarded the Amnesty International Chair to individuals with a remarkable and lasting commitment to human rights.

Following this year’s selection process, Hanna Liubakova has been chosen in recognition of her vital contributions as a journalist, political analyst, and human rights defender. Her courageous and relentless work reporting on authoritarianism, repression, and democratic resistance in Belarus has significantly shaped global conversations on truth, democracy, and state accountability. Even in exile, she has continued to amplify the voices of political prisoners, persecuted journalists, and silenced civil society actors, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to freedom of expression and democratic solidarity.

In these critical times, Ghent University is honored to support and recognize her work.

📅 The award ceremony will take place on October 1st at VierNulVier. More information will follow soon.

Hanna Liubakova is a Belarusian journalist and political analyst. She is a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and has reported on developments in Belarus for international outlets including The Washington Post, The Economist, and others.

Liubakova began her career at Belsat TV, the only independent Belarusian television channel, which has been banned by the regime in Minsk. She later worked for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague, Czechia, and is currently writing a book about Belarus.

Her reporting has earned multiple honours, including the Freedom of the Media Award from the Transatlantic Leadership Network and the One Young World Journalist of the Year Award. She was also a finalist for the European Press Prize. In retaliation for her work, the Lukashenka regime sentenced her in absentia to ten years in prison. She is wanted by authorities in Russia and across all CIS countries.

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