Andrei Gnyot, a Belarusian activist, was arrested upon arrival in Belgrade on October 30, 2023, based on an Interpol warrant issued by Belarusian authorities. After spending seven months in the Central Prison in Belgrade, Andrei has been under house arrest for the past two months, trying to fight for his freedom through legal means.
The Court of Appeal in Belgrade has scheduled a hearing for today, August 27, after which it will make a decision in 30 days regarding the appeal against the Higher Court’s decision on Gnyot’s extradition to Belarus. After the Court’s Appeal decision, the final decision will be made by the Ministry of Justice, which should assess whether there are risks of political persecution in the country of origin.
In just one week in 2023, more than 100 Belarusian activists were detained, with many receiving long prison sentences, according to the Vesna Human Rights Group. Numerous international human rights organizations report constant human rights violations in Belarus, especially after the 2020-2021 violent suppression of protests against electoral fraud in the presidential elections.
Two months after Gnyot filed his appeal, the Court of Appeal in Belgrade has scheduled a hearing where his lawyers will have their final opportunity to present arguments against the Higher Court’s decision. Gnyot is retroactively charged with tax evasion, despite having submitted a range of evidence in his appeal against the Higher Court’s decision, demonstrating that Belarus is misusing the extradition mechanism by categorizing political opponents as tax evaders.
