{"id":90568,"date":"2024-06-13T20:50:37","date_gmt":"2024-06-13T17:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/90568\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:40:57","slug":"political-pressure-mounts-as-lawyers-seek-to-prevent-extradition-of-belarusian-filmmaker","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/90568\/","title":{"rendered":"Political pressure mounts as lawyers seek to prevent extradition of Belarusian filmmaker"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

June 13, Pozirk.<\/em><\/strong> Lawyers are looking for ways to prevent filmmaker Andrej Hniot’s extradition from Serbia to Belarus, said Franak Via\u010dorka, an aide to Belarusian opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Via\u010dorka told Pozirk<\/em> that the situation is tricky. The legal team is in touch with the European Court of Human Rights, the European Commission and diplomatic missions in Serbia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We need a media spotlight on this case, because Serbia has clearly taken a position of cooperation with the regime. The case is clearly political, so we need political pressure to stop the extradition,” Via\u010dorka said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The activist emphasized the importance of Hniot’s release. “We are striving to get him legalization or asylum in an EU country,” he said. He also expressed hope that Serbia will reverse its decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serbian defense lawyers are already drafting an appeal to be filed within three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier today, a Serbian court ruled to extradite Hniot to Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The filmmaker may face torture and a long prison sentence for his political activism, opposition leader \u015aviat\u0142ana Cichano\u016dskaja said on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ruling comes a week after Hniot, known as a director of TV commercials and music videos, was transferred from a prison in Belgrade to house arrest, in a move that gave his supporters hope for his release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His persecution in Belarus may be linked to video production for SOS.by, an opposition association that Belarusian police branded an extremist group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has also cooperated with Current Time<\/em>, a\u00a0television and digital news network produced by Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty<\/em> in cooperation with the Voice of America<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serbian border guards arrested him in October 2023 because Belarus put him on an international wanted list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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