Andrei Yaremchyk
rock musician
Prisoner
Date of birth: 23 February 1993
Date of detention: 28 October 2022
Charges indicted:
- Art. 368 of the Criminal Code — Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- Art. 361-1 of the Criminal Code — Creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
- Art. 369-1 of the Criminal Code — Discrediting Belarus
Sentence: 7 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a medium-security penal colony
Judge: Siarhei Salouski
Prison: Penal colony No. 22
Groups: Cultural workers
Andrei Yaremchyk is a bass guitar player and a member of the band TOR Band rock group from Rahačoŭ, Homieĺ region. He and the two other band members, Dzmitryi Halavach and Yauhen Burlo were detained on October 28, 2022.
The detainees were sentenced to 15 days of administrative arrest several times in a row. Later they were transferred to a remand prison.
The trial started at the Homieĺ Regional Court on September 14, 2023. It was presided over by Judge Siarhei Salouski.
Each of the three musicians faced charges of the following criminal offenses:
- incitement to hatred (Part 3 of Article 130 of the Criminal Code);
- creation of an extremist formation, or participation in it (Part 1 and Part 3 of Article 361-1 of the Criminal Code);
- discrediting the Republic of Belarus (Article 369-1 of the Criminal Code);
- insulting Aliaksandr Lukashenka (Article 368 of the Criminal Code).
On January 16th, the TOR Band was classified as an "extremist group".
On October 31, 2023, the Homieĺ Regional Court issued a verdict in the case against the musicians. Yauhen Burlo was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment, Dzmitryi Halavach received a sentence of nine years in prison, and Andrei Yaremchyk was sentenced to seven years and six months of imprisonment. All of the individuals were given a fine of 100 basic units (3,700 Belarusian roubles). The case was considered privately for six weeks.
