If Serbian authorities are to align with all dictatorial regimes, it will be demonstrated by the fate of Belarusian citizen Andrej Gnjot.
For this journalist, filmmaker, and activist, the situation may be a matter of life or death, as Belarus is the third country in the world in terms of the number of journalists who are arrested or disappeared. At the very least, if extradited, he faces decades in prison in a country known for its documented use of torture on prisoners.
“I would like to ask everyone how you would feel if you had committed no crime, had traveled to another country for business with the best intentions, and then were arrested and imprisoned with actual criminals for over seven months. No language skills, no connections in the criminal world, and no communication with family and friends. I am relieved that this nightmare has ended and that I have been transferred to house arrest. I certainly should not be under house arrest; I am innocent: I fought against the dictatorship, against electoral fraud, against violence, against constitutional violations. Is that a crime? Certainly not,” Andrej Gnjot told Radar.
He recalls that Belarusian prisons use some of the most severe torture methods and adds:
“From 2020 to 2024, at least 25 people have died in prisons under unexplained circumstances. All were political prisoners. Isn’t it clear that many who opposed the dictator are dying in Belarusian prisons? One doesn’t need to be an expert to understand why. This is what awaits me in Belarus. And then there is the death penalty by execution – it is the only country in Europe where five to seven people are executed each year. You should know – they are shot, and their bodies are not returned to their families, not even information about the burial site.”
Gnjot believes that “Serbia respects not only international and domestic laws but also the principles of common sense, humanity, and the laws of life.”
“Sending a person to torture and death is something that no one can ever forgive or forget.”
According to Serbian Radar, the regime in Belgrade under President Aleksandar Vučić has long been regarded by relevant international organizations as one that persecutes journalists and critics. This was recently highlighted following protests against lithium mining. However, Vučić’s regime, which increasingly resembles the Belarusian regime in its governing style, also aims to maintain the appearance of being on the path to European Union membership. This could offer some hope for Andrej Gnjot, alongside legal and European Convention protections, that he might not be subjected to potential suffering and death.
Andrej Gnjot has been awaiting a decision from Serbian courts for months in the District Prison in Belgrade regarding his possible extradition to Belarus for alleged tax evasion, as stated in the Interpol arrest warrant.
Gnjot is a staunch critic of the Belarusian regime and a co-founder of the Free Belarusian Athletes Association.
