The journalists studied the wanted list of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. It turned out that the Russian wanted list includes more than three thousand citizens and natives of Belarus among almost 97 thousand names. Among them are human rights defenders, politicians and activists, writes Mediazona.
61 Belarusians associated with volunteer units in Ukraine have been put on the wanted list. Among them are Siarhei Degtceu and Jan Durbeika, who were captured in June 2022. Pavel Gorbach and Eduard Lobau, who have already died, are also listed in the search database.
There are representatives of the Joint Transitional Cabinet Valery Sakhashchik and Olga Garbunova on the list. Russia has put on the wanted list former Belarusian ambassador to Argentina and member of the People’s Anti-Crisis Management (NAU) Uladzimir Astapenka, as well as Alexander Dabravolsky and Frank Vyachorka, Tsikhanouskaya’s advisers. Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s name was first of all on the wanted list, but then disappeared.
The list also includes the human rights activist Natalia Satsunkevich, former political prisoners Leanid Sudalenka and Maryia Tarasenka, human rights defender Igar Kazmerchak, Dzmitry Salavyou, sentenced to 8 years in prison in absentia, journalist and human rights defender Uladzimir Khilmanovich (who was prosecuted for “promoting extremist activities”), as well as Vitsebsk human rights defenders Pavel Levinau and Irina Tretsyakova.
Leanid Sudalenka commented on this news as follows: “During my life, I have never had anything to do with the Russian Empire! Unless it was after I got out of prison, when, due to the absence of a border, I was able to travel to EU countries. After all, the “extremists” from the government continued to repress me even after my release. They opened a new criminal case 100 days after leaving, because they know when they will leave me and people like me in the room, then they will have to go to prisons for extremist articles. What these people in shoulder straps and robes are doing today cannot be called anything but extremism, they return us to the worst practices of the Soviet era. And as for the Russian wanted list, I don’t think anyone at Interpol will seriously talk to them about repression and political persecution!”