Nikolai, the head of the Free Trade Union branch in Polotsk and a member of the Polotsk Human Rights Society, was searched on July 14, 2021, by officers from the Polotsk District Department of Internal Affairs as part of a criminal case opened on March 29, 2021, under the article "Desecration of buildings and damage to property."
After the search, three employees went with Nikolai to his office—the Center for Information and Legal Support for Socially Vulnerable Groups "Advocacy"—to conduct a search there.
Nikolai was detained for 72 hours, after which he was released.
