Youras, a politician and lawyer, was arrested on April 12, 2021, in a criminal case opened under the article "conspiracy or other actions committed with the aim of seizing state power." In September 2022, he was sentenced to a long prison term on several criminal charges, despite the fact that he fully admitted his guilt and entered into an agreement with the investigation.
In December 2022, he was convicted again for “insulting a government official.” According to the state-run newspaper Minska Pravda, in 2020–2021, he allegedly repeatedly left offensive comments on a Telegram channel recognized as extremist.
In June 2023, Yourasya's sentence was increased, and he was transferred to prison regime. In August 2024, he was convicted of "malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration" - an article under which prisoners are tried for refusing to cooperate or for fictitious violations. As a result, taking into account all the court's decisions, his total term of imprisonment was 13 years and 3 months.
Youras was under constant pressure: he was repeatedly sent to solitary confinement, deprived of parcels and the opportunity to shop. In protest, he went on hunger strike several times. It is also known that he has serious health problems.
He was released in April 2025.
