{"id":15943,"date":"2024-06-24T12:23:16","date_gmt":"2024-06-24T12:23:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/?p=15943"},"modified":"2024-07-19T14:09:31","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T14:09:31","slug":"serbia-halt-the-extradition-of-andrej-hniot-to-belarus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2024\/06\/24\/serbia-halt-the-extradition-of-andrej-hniot-to-belarus.html","title":{"rendered":"Serbia: Halt the extradition of Andrej Hniot to Belarus"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>PEN Belarus joins the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/news\/halt-the-extradition-of-andrej-hniot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">statement<\/a> of PEN International regarding Andrej Hniot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>24 June 2024: Belarusian filmmaker and journalist Andrej Hniot is at risk of forcible repatriation to Belarus, where it is highly likely that he will be subjected to arbitrary detention and torture. Arrested upon his arrival in Belgrade in October 2023 on trumped-up charges of tax evasion, Hniot was placed under house arrest in June 2024 after Serbia\u2019s High Court ruled for his extradition. A decision on his appeal is pending. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Serbia is obliged under international law not to deport, expel, return or extradite any person to a country where they are at risk of serious human rights abuses, including torture and other ill-treatment. The Serbian authorities must halt the extradition of Hniot to Belarus as a matter of urgency and release him immediately. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>TAKE ACTION<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Advocacy<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Please send appeals to the authorities of Serbia, urging them to:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Halt the extradition of Andrej Hniot to Belarus and release him immediately;<\/li>\n<li class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Ensure that, pending his release from house arrest, he is provided with adequate health care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Send appeals to:<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Aleksandar Vu\u010di\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Role: President of the Republic of Serbia<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Email: <a href=\"mailto:predstavkegradjana@predsednik.rs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">predstavkegradjana@predsednik.rs<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Milo\u0161 Vu\u010devi\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Role: Head of the Government of the Republic of Serbia<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Email: <a href=\"mailto:predsednikvlade@gov.rs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">predsednikvlade@gov.rs<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Maja Popovi\u0107<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Role: Minister of Justice of the Republic of Serbia<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Email: <a href=\"mailto:kabinet@mpravde.gov.rs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">kabinet@mpravde.gov.rs<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Ivica Da\u010di\u0107 <\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Role: Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Serbia<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Email: <a href=\"mailto:info@mup.gov.rs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">info@mup.gov.rs<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Send copies to the Embassy of Serbia in your own country. Embassy addresses may be found here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mfa.gov.rs\/en\/diplomatic-missions\/serbian-diplomatic-missions\/embassies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">https:\/\/www.mfa.gov.rs\/en\/diplomatic-missions\/serbian-diplomatic-missions\/embassies<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please reach out to your Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic representatives in Serbia, calling on them to raise the case of Andrej Hniot in bilateral fora.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>***Please send appeals immediately. Check with PEN International if sending appeals after 24 August 2024. *** <\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Outreach<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">PEN members are encouraged to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Publish articles and opinion pieces in your national or local press highlighting the case of Andrej Hniot;<\/li>\n<li class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Share information about Andrej Hniot and your campaigning activities via social media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Please keep us informed of your activities. Messages can be sent to Aur\u00e9lia Dondo, Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International: <a href=\"mailto:Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Solidarity<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Messages of solidarity to Andrej Hniot may be sent here: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/andrewgnyot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/andrewgnyot<\/a><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Background <\/strong><\/h4>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Born on 7 July 1982, Andrej Hniot is a Belarusian filmmaker, journalist, activist and co-founder of the Free Association of Athletes SOS-BY, which notably played a role in the the cancellation of the 2021 Hockey World Cup in Belarus, and was subquently labelled \u2018extremist\u2019 by the Belarusian authorities. Hniot also collaborated with a range of independent news outlets during the 2020 protests that swept through Belarus following the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/news\/belarus-end-brutal-crackdown-on-dissent\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">disputed presidential elections<\/a> that saw Aliaksandr Luka\u0161enka return to a sixth term in office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">Andrej Hniot left Belarus for Thailand in 2021 and was travelling to Serbia for work when he was arrested upon his arrival in Belgrade on 30 October 2023, on the basis of an Interpol arrest warrant issued at the request of the Belarusian authorities on alleged charges of tax evasion (Article 243(2) of the Belarusian Criminal Code). Hniot denies any wrongdoings, arguing that these charges are fabricated and in retaliation for his journalistic work and political activism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">On 31 May 2024, Serbia\u2019s High Court <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/serbia-russia-belarus-dissident-9d39f01082de1a3428b1fe9e4ee48b40\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">ruled<\/a> in favour of Andrej Hniot extradition to Belarus. His appeal is currently pending. Should he not be successful, the final decision will rest with Serbia\u2019s Minister of Justice. Hniot was placed under house arrest on <a href=\"https:\/\/t.me\/mediazona_by\/21454\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">5 June 2024<\/a>, after spending seven months in detention in Belgrade Central Prison, where he said he was not provided with adequate medical care and his health <a href=\"https:\/\/cpj.org\/2024\/05\/cpj-calls-on-serbia-not-to-extradite-belarusian-journalist-andrei-gnyot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">deteriorated<\/a> significantly. Hniot must wear a tracking ankle bracelet and is only allowed to leave his apartment for one hour a day. <a href=\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2024\/06\/18\/serbiya-patrabuem-prypynicz-ekstradyczyyu-andreya-gnyota-u-belarus.html\">PEN Belarus<\/a>, Serbian PEN and Arm\u00e3n PEN are amongst several national and international organisations mobilizing in support of Hniot. Veran Mati\u0107, Member of Serbia\u2019s Permanent Working Group for the Safety of Journalists, notably visited Hniot under house arrest and called for all extradition proceedings to be dropped.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">If returned to Belarus, Andrej Hniot would face up to seven years in prison on charges of tax evasion. Additionally, the Belarusian authorities could charge him with creating or participating in an \u2018extremist formation\u2019, which carries up to ten years in prison. As documented by <a href=\"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/2024\/05\/06\/bel-manitoryng-parushennyau-kulturnyh-pravou-i-pravou-chalaveka-u-dachynenni-da-dzeyachau-kultury-belarus-studzen-sakavik-2024-goda.html\">PEN Belarus<\/a> and the United Nations <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/countries\/belarus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights<\/a> (OHCHR), prison conditions in Belarus amount to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, and torture, with prisoners routinely denied access to medical care, adequate legal representation, and family visits, with those detained on politically motivated grounds subjected to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/press-releases\/2023\/05\/belarus-must-release-all-detainees-held-political-grounds-and-protect-their\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">harsher conditions<\/a>. Several members of PEN Belarus, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/news\/nobel-laureates-join-in-support-of-nobel-prize-winner-ales-bialiatski\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">Ales Bialiatski<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/our-campaigns\/case-list-2023-2024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">Maksim Znak<\/a>, have been held in incommunicado detention for months. According to the Human Rights Centre Viasna, 1424 people were being <a href=\"https:\/\/prisoners.spring96.org\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">detained<\/a> on politically motivated grounds at the time of writing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">For more information about PEN International\u2019s work on Belarus, please click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/search?q=belarus\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">For more information about PEN International\u2019s work on Serbia, please click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pen-international.org\/search?q=serbia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\"><strong>Note to Editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"preFade fadeIn\">For further details contact <strong>Aur\u00e9lia Dondo,<\/strong> Head of Europe and Central Asia Region at PEN International:\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noindex noopener\">Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>PEN Belarus joins the statement of PEN International regarding Andrej Hniot. 24 June 2024: Belarusian filmmaker and journalist Andrej Hniot is at risk of forcible repatriation to Belarus, where it is highly likely that he will be subjected to arbitrary detention and torture. Arrested upon his arrival in Belgrade in October 2023 on trumped-up charges<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":15944,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4201],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-statement","category-solidarity"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15943"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15974,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15943\/revisions\/15974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/penbelarus.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}