Criminal case filed against cousin of Kalinoŭski regiment’s deputy commander

August 26, BPN. A criminal case has been opened against Siarhiej Frančuk, a cousin of the Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment’s deputy commander Vadzim Kabančuk, for organization of/active participation in group actions grossly disturbing public order, the Viasna Human Rights Center reports.

According to the human rights group, five Minsk riot police officers violently arrested 32-year-old Frančuk on August 9 in his parent’s apartment in Babrujsk, Mahiloŭ region. His home was searched, and his mobile phone and laptop were seized.

Subsequently, the man was arrested for 15 days, supposedly for defying police orders. Pro-government Telegram channels shared a video of Frančuk saying that he participated in the 2020 protests and wrote comments in “extremist Telegram chats.” While in custody, he was charged with the criminal offense.

Human rights activists say security officers demanded that Frančuk tell them about his cousin.

Meanwhile, according to Viasna, the Committee for the State Security (KGB) interviewed Kabančuk’s another cousin and her husband about the deputy commander.

The Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment was formed in Ukraine in March 2022, initially as a battalion. It consists of Belarusian volunteers.

Kastuś Kalinoŭski (Konstanty Kalinowski) was the leader of the 1863 uprising against Russian rule in the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.