Andrei Aliaksandrau was sentenced to over a decade in prison
Andrei Aliaksandrau was sentenced to over a decade in prison
A devoted Liverpool FC fan, who found solace in singing You’ll Never Walk Alone while detained, is marking his fourth year behind bars. Andrei Aliaksandrau was arrested in Belarus, a landlocked country bordered by Russia, in January 2021 and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Initially charged with “organisation and preparation of actions that grossly violate public order or active participation in them”, the journalist’s charges were later escalated to include high treason.
The Belarusian authorities alleged Andrei and his partner, Irina Zlobina, had paid fines and covered detention costs for individuals detained during a democracy protest in Minsk. The protests were sparked by claims of widespread fraud in the elections that saw President Alexander Lukashenko return to power.
This month marks the fourth anniversary of the couple’s detention, with Andrei facing an additional fine of 32,000 rubles (£280) on top of his imprisonment, and Irina sentenced to nine years in prison.
In response, international human rights organisation ARTICLE 19, along with Index on Censorship, launched an ongoing solidarity campaign calling for the immediate release of Andrei, Irina, and all other political prisoners in Belarus.
Index on Censorship’s Jessica Ní Mhainín told the ECHO: “It has now been four years since our friend and former colleague Andrei Aliaksandrau was unjustly detained in Belarus.
“He is guilty of nothing more than standing up for freedom of expression and the right to freedom of assembly, yet he will soon have spent nearly 1,500 days behind bars. We will not stop calling for his release. He must be immediately and unconditionally released.”
Andrei, a journalist, had worked for the London-based company, which campaigns for freedom of expression. He was arrested after returning to Belarus, where he continued to work as a freelancer.
Joanna Szymanska, senior programme officer at ARTICLE 19, previously labelled Andrei as a “dedicated proponent of press freedom”. She said: “We tried to send letters, but the latest response from Andrei dates back to 2021. We suspect he may not be receiving our letters, a situation many political prisoners in Belarus experience. Nevertheless, our thoughts are consistently with Andrei and Irina, and we will continue our work for their release.”
The ECHO previously reported that Andrei is a huge Liverpool FC fan. His former colleagues said he had been reciting the lyrics of the Reds anthem You’ll Never Walk Alone each day in prison to keep himself going.
At the time, former Index on Censorship editor-in-chief Rachael Jolley said Andrei is the sort of person who puts his life and soul into the cause of making people realise what is going on in Belarus.
She added: “He feels strongly about media freedom and feels the world doesn’t pay enough attention to what is going on there. He worked so hard to bring stories out of Belarus when most journalists would be too worried to cover them. He keeps covering stories when others have given up.” Campaigners hope the upcoming elections in the country at the end of this month will bring about change for political prisoners.
