Yuri, 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, Yuri'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 6 months.
Yuri is under constant pressure: he has been repeatedly sent to solitary confinement, deprived of parcels and the opportunity to shop. In protest, he has gone on hunger strike several times. It is also known that he has serious health problems.
After the sentence comes into effect, it is only possible to write letters to a prisoner. According to article 85 of the Penal Enforcement Code, prisoners cannot receive money transfers from persons who are not family members. Parcels are also only possible from relatives. If you want to help, help families directly, if this option is available on the prisoner's card.
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
Involved in repression
Michael Borisovich Kovalev
State prosecutors
12 december 1962
Place: Minsk Regional Court
Type: Court of First Instance
Date: 05.09.2022
Vladimir Viktorovich Areshko
Judges
9 december 1976
Place: Minsk Regional Court
Type: Court of First Instance
Date: 05.09.2022
Alexander Aleksandrovich Jokingly
Judges
Place: court of Myadel district
Type: Court of First Instance
Date: 30.12.2022
Paul Nikolaevich Kartinin
Judges
Place: court of the Bobruisk district and the city of Bobruisk
To ensure that none of political prisoners are left without attention and support the site has a function of verified sendings.
Please attach a photo or a screenshot for transfer verification. The new transfer will be posted on the site as soon as it is verified by the moderator!
Support actions
You can upload an image from the support event, and after passing moderation we will publish it.
Respond to help those released
Do you want to help a released political prisoner? Send your contact to Telegram and we will contact you.
A Keeper means you want to regularly help a specific person in prison through their family. Choose a political prisoner and click «Become a Keeper», our team will contact you shortly.
You can request the letters that we have in storage, for this, leave your telegram account for feedback, we will contact you and, after verifying your identity, we will transfer the archive with your letters.
Are you a relative or someone close to a political prisoner? Send us a short description and your Telegram contact for feedback. After data verification we will publish your relative on the website.
Do you have information about administrative prosecution? Please send us a short description and your Telegram contact for feedback. After checking the data, we will publish your information on the site.
Please leave your contact on Telegram and describe your skills in as much detail as possible. After moderation, your CV will be published on the website.
Multi upload allows you to send confirmations with one photo to several political prisoners at once, check the selected people before sending!
Please attach a photo or a screenshot for transfer verification. The new transfer will be posted on the site as soon as it is verified by the moderator!
Write to representatives
Correct translation
Application for assistance in employment or retraining
Please complete the questionnaire to enter the first stage of an interview to determine your individual needs.
