Ex-political prisoner Andrej Kudzik not released after 15 days in detention

March 2, Pozirk. Former political prisoner Andrej Kudzik has not been released after serving 15 days in jail, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported.

On February 9, the Maładziečna District Court, Minsk region, labeled the TikTok account Andrej Kudzik as extremist. Soon after, on February 15, all contact with the man was lost.

It was later revealed that authorities had placed Kudzik at a detention center in Vilejka, Minsk region, for 15 days for an unspecified minor offense.

According to the human rights group, the Vilejka activist was “persecuted for picketing and expressing his civic position more than once in 2020 and 2021; he was detained, fined, and arrested.”

In February 2022, Kudzik was sentenced to two years in prison for violating Article 342 of the Criminal Code carrying punishment for organization and preparation of actions grossly violating public order or active participation in such actions. The man refused to testify and pleaded not guilty. He was released on July 18, 2023.

According to the human rights defenders, in October last year Kudzik was sentenced to 15 days in jail for “wishing Ukraine a happy Independence Day” on TikTok.