Ex-policeman. According to the prosecution, on May 27, Butko, who after leaving the police became the director of a commercial transport company, struck his employee Andrei Zakhar "at least 12 times in the head" with his fists. The victim said in court that he had "no complaints" against Butko.
In 2017, Butko resigned from the service, and in 2020, he spoke out against the brutality of the security forces. In May 2021, Lukashenko stripped him of the rank of reserve police lieutenant colonel.
He was brought to administrative charges for participating in protests, which the court took into account when sentencing him. It is known that he is on the profukus list in prison as someone prone to extremism. The human rights organization RPF (Respect-Protect-Fulfill) finds a political component in his case.
