Andrei Ruskikh
Former prisoner
Date of birth: 25 January 1979
Date of detention: 20 May 2022
Charges indicted:
- Art. 130 of the Criminal Code — Incitement to hatred
Sentence: 1 1/2 years
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Date of release: 18 September 2024
Judge: Halina Bondal
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Andrei Ruskikh is a 43-year-old resident of Vorša, Viciebsk region. In May 2022, he was detained by the Russian police in St. Petersburg. In January 2023, he was transported from Russia to Belarus. During the investigation and the trial of his criminal case, he will be held in remand prison #2 in Viciebsk.
The authorities accuse Andrei Ruskikh of "insulting Lukashenka" (Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, 'Insulting the president of Belarus') and "inciting enmity" (Article 130, 'Inciting racial, national, religious or other social hatred or enmity') for his comments on the Internet.
