The Struggle of Belarusian Journalist Andrey Gnyot Amid Extradition Threats in Serbia

A Belarusian Journalist’s Plight in Serbia

Andrey Gnyot, a Belarusian journalist and activist, finds himself confined to an ordinary apartment in Belgrade, where he is subjected to house arrest while wearing an ankle tracking device. His situation is fraught with anxiety, as he contemplates the implications of an appeal against tax evasion charges that could lead to his extradition back to Belarus.

“Anyone who was involved during the protests has faced detention, arrest, and even torture,” Gnyot explained during an interview with Euronews. He estimates that over 50 to 100 individuals continue to be imprisoned in Belarus, reflecting the severe crackdown on dissent that followed the protests aimed at toppling President Aleksandr Lukashenko’s government in 2020.

Gnyot believes that the extradition request is primarily motivated by his active participation in those protests. His legal team asserts that the Lukashenko regime is eager to capture him, along with anyone who disseminated videos and information about the protests. In a troubling turn of events, Belgrade’s High Court has already ruled in favor of his extradition to Belarus. Currently, Gnyot has lodged an appeal with the Court of Appeal, anticipating a decision by August 27th. The prospect of being sent back to Belarus brings him grave concern.

“Torture or even death through torture is a very real possibility. At least 12 political prisoners have died under ‘mysterious’ circumstances; they were healthy before their imprisonment,” he stated with a calm demeanor, though his words carried the weight of despair.

It is uncommon for European nations to extradite individuals to Belarus, Russia, or China, countries notorious for their oppressive regimes, lack of free speech, and disregard for democratic principles, including the right to free and fair elections. Lawyer and human rights expert Nikola Kovačević elaborated on this issue, noting that many European nations are hesitant to extradite individuals to these countries due to the genuine threat of political persecution.

• “Belarus’ request to extradite Gnyot to Serbia is a tactic to capture him for potential charges of subverting the constitutional order,” Kovačević remarked. He emphasized that the accusations against Gnyot are strategically crafted to facilitate the authorities’ efforts to extradite individuals like him.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is actively advocating for Gnyot’s immediate release. “As a candidate for European Union membership, Serbia should resist yielding to transnational repression orchestrated by authoritarian regimes like that of President Lukashenko, who is a well-documented adversary of a free press,” stated Gulnoza Said, CPJ’s coordinator for Europe and Central Asia.

Since arriving in Serbia, Gnyot was detained in October, facing a tax evasion charge that could result in a prison term of up to seven years, as stipulated by the Belarusian criminal code. His reports, which were utilized by Radio Svaboda—the Belarusian arm of the US Congress-funded broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty—during the 2020 protests, have led Belarusian authorities to label the station as an “extremist” organization.

In the wake of the 2020 protests, the Belarusian government has increasingly imprisoned journalists for their work. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented numerous torture incidents affecting political prisoners in Belarus. According to the CPJ’s latest analysis, Belarus has become the world’s third-worst jailer of journalists, with at least 28 journalists incarcerated as of December 1, 2023. In contrast, Serbia had no journalists imprisoned at that time, aside from Gnyot, whose situation remained unrecognized in the census due to insufficient information regarding his journalistic activities.