Yauhen Tsikhanau
in custody
Prisoner
Date of birth: 3 November 1982
Date of detention: 19 May 2023
Charges indicted:
- Art. 369 of the Criminal Code — Insulting a government official
- 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
Sentence: unknown
Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony
Judge: Anzhela Kastsiukevich
Notes: Detention upon return to Belarus
Groups: IT specialists
Statement on the status of a political prisoner
Yauhen Tsikhanau graduated from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs more than 15 years ago and worked as a precinct police officer, but resigned at his request. Later, he worked in IT. After that, he lived in Europe, in Italy, for some time. Tsikhanau was arrested while trying to enter Belarus: he wanted to come for his mother's birthday and to have a power of attorney issued.
According to reports, a criminal case has been opened against Yauhen Tsikhanau for his comments in a Telegram chat room about law enforcers and Lukashenka under three articles of the Criminal Code: Article 368 ('Contempt of the President of Belarus'), Article 369 ('Contempt of a public official'), and Article 130 ('Incitement of social hatred or enmity').
