Sergei, a journalist for the online publication Pershi Region, was arrested on December 22, 2020, in connection with a case of insulting Lukashenko. Three days later, he was placed under house arrest and in May 2021, he was released on bail pending trial.
In August 2021, Sergei was convicted of “insulting and slandering Lukashenko” and “insulting a government official.”
He was released in October 2022, having fully served his sentence as determined by the court.
In September 2023, he was detained again after returning from Poland and sentenced to 15 days for “distributing extremist materials.”
In January 2024, he was arrested again - for reposting from the Gantsavitsky Chas website on VKontakte, although the account had been deleted in November 2023. The court did not take into account either this or Sergei's deteriorating health: he lost consciousness and sought medical attention.
