Ivan, a Gomel activist and volunteer for “Country for Life”, a member of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party, left for Russia after several detentions, administrative arrest and the initiation of two criminal cases in 2020.
While in Kaliningrad, Ivan was detained in April 2021 while attempting to cross the border with Poland. At the request of Belarusian law enforcement, he was charged in a criminal case under four articles, including "terrorism". However, after an investigation, the Russian side dropped three of the four charges. A year later, on April 26, 2022, Ivan was released on bail.
On May 27, 2022, he was detained again, and at the end of June, he was extradited to Belarus. According to the case materials, in 2018, he allegedly embezzled more than 68 thousand rubles. The investigation also noted that in 2020, Ivan participated in protests, filmed videos and contacted government agencies.
In December 2022, he was convicted of "fraud." In April 2024, Ivan was convicted again under the article "malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration."
