TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Belarusian opposition figure has been arrested in Vietnam and extradited to Belarus, where he faces terrorism charges and a possible death penalty, the opposition said Thursday.
The arrest of 34-year-old Vasil Verameichyk is the latest in a brutal crackdown by Belarusian authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on dissent at home and abroad since 2020, when his disputed re-election sparked unprecedented mass protests.
According to Belarus’ main security service, the KGB, Verameichyk was detained in Vietnam at the request of Belarusian authorities.
Authorities say he is facing terrorism charges for his involvement in the Kalinouski Regiment, a formation of Belarusian volunteers fighting alongside Kiev’s armed forces in the war in Ukraine. In Belarus, the Kalinouski Regiment has been designated a terrorist organization.
A number of terrorism-related charges in Belarus carry long prison sentences – up to life in prison – or even the death penalty.
Verameichyk is the first member of the regiment to be held in custody in Belarus. Belarusian state television showed images of Verameichyk in handcuffs being escorted off a plane in Minsk, the Belarusian capital, on Wednesday evening.
“Individuals who have chosen the path of terrorism and extremism, those who are haunted by the existence of a peaceful and calm Belarus, must live with the thought that Belarusian justice will overtake them anywhere in the world,” said KGB spokesman Konstantin Bychek. as said by the country’s state television.
More than 500,000 Belarusians have left the country of 9.5 million since 2020, when Lukashenko responded to protests with mass arrests and violence.
Over the past year, Lukashenko’s government has increased pressure on Belarusians critical of the government and living abroad, launching criminal cases against them and making extradition requests.
Belarus is also targeting those who oppose Russia’s war in Ukraine. Moscow used the territory of its neighbors and allies as a springboard to send its troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and has maintained its military bases and weapons there, although Belarusian troops have not participated in the war.
Last year it also sent tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, although there are no details on how many. Belarusian authorities have arrested more than 1,500 people since the start of the war for their anti-war stance and solidarity with Ukraine, human rights activists say.
Verameichyk is a member of the opposition Coordination Council. In 2020, he took part in anti-government protests and fled to Ukraine a year later to avoid prosecution. There he joined the Kalinouski Regiment when the Russians invaded, and fought alongside the Ukrainian forces until April 2022, when he was wounded and left the formation.
He moved to Vietnam after Lithuania refused to grant him a residence permit because, according to the opposition, he had once served in the Belarusian army.
The Coordination Council said in a statement on Thursday that Veramichyk was detained in Ho Chi Minh city last week, on November 13, and transported to Minsk the next day. Belarusian authorities also raided the homes of Verameichyk’s relatives.
Exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhnaouskaya called the situation with Verameichyk “both alarming and unbearable” in comments to The Associated Press.
“Vasil faces more than 20 years in prison or the death penalty under Lukashenko’s regime,” she said, urging countries to “stop extraditions to Belarus” and help exiled Belarusians.
