Alexander Vyacheslavovich Syryca
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Alexander Vyacheslavovich Syryca
Minsk, Dunin-Martsinkevich street, 1
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A famous basketball referee, he was arrested for creating a basketball chat.
He was detained in January 2024 when he was returning to Belarus. He is currently in pretrial detention. He is accused of "insulting Lukashenko" and "creating an extremist group" under Articles 361-1 and 368 of the Criminal Code.
Syritsa had previously believed that coming to Belarus was not associated with major risks. His wife was also detained at the border (she spent a day in jail). And the chat participants were summoned for questioning.
Alexander Syritsa has been one of the best basketball referees in Belarus for many years. A FIBA referee since 2005. In 2019, together with his colleagues, Syritsa filed a lawsuit against the basketball federation, lost and was blacklisted. He lived in Australia, did business, and often visited Ukraine.
On January 16, the KGB recognized the "Fund of Belarus Friend LTD" as an "extremist organization" - at that time it was reported that Belarusian citizen Alexander Syritsa was related to it.
How to write a letter
✏️ A postcard with words of encouragement (a poem by your favorite author, song lyrics, or a beautiful quote). Trust us, even such simple gestures are very meaningful to a person in jail.
✏️ Your life events. To a person who is in isolation for a long time, any story about your routine endeavors will be a window into normal life. Your day-to-day worries and mundane matters are much more interesting than the daily grind of life behind bars.
✏️ It is important to share news. Mention the most notable and interesting occurrences depending on your pen-pal's interests.
✍️️ Remember that every letter is censored. This means that your letters are read by strangers whose main goal is to limit inmates' access to information or to use it against the prisoners or even you.
So try to avoid:
👉️️ harsh statements regarding ongoing political matters
👉 statements against the authorities and public servants
👉 foul language
👉 discussion of the circumstances of the criminal case
