Andrey Kuznechyk
After more than three years in prison, RFE/RL journalist Andrey Kuznechyk was released on February 12, 2025.
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Andrey Kuznechyk, a journalist for RFE/RL’s Belarus Service, was detained on November 25, 2021, while on a bike ride near his home in Minsk. Four unidentified men accompanied him to his home and seized his equipment. Andrey served two consecutive 10-day administrative sentences for “hooliganism.”
On December 23, 2021, Belarusian authorities opened a criminal case against Andrey on unspecified charges. The charges against Andrey were unknown until May 2022, when it was revealed that he had been charged with “creating or participating in an extremist organization.”
On June 8, 2022, Belarusian authorities sentenced Andrey to six years in prison following a trial that lasted no more than a few hours. He was transferred to the Navapolatsk hard labor colony, a place he had previously described as a “town that seems to be farther than Mars.” In August 2022, the Supreme Court of Belarus denied Andrey’s appeal in a closed-door hearing.
U.S. officials, as well as Belarusian and international human rights groups, including the Committee to Protect Journalists and Human Rights Center “Viasna” have recognized Andrey as a political prisoner and called for his release. German Bundestag Member Lars Rohwer serves as an advocate for Andrey Kuznechyk through the “godparenthood” campaign launched by Libereco.
Latest Updates
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RFE/RL welcomes news of Andrey’s release and is grateful to the American and Lithuanian governments for their support.
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