A Belarus government critic appeals to the Serbian president against his extradition

BELGRADE, Serbia -- A prominent Belarus filmmaker and a critic of Minsk's authoritarian government handed a letter to the Serbian presidency signed by hundreds of artists on Monday, appealing against his extradition to his home country where he says he could be tortured and killed.

Andrei Hniot was arrested in Serbia in October on an international warrant on charges of tax evasion. He was first held in prison before being put under house arrest during a months-long legal procedure to decide whether he would be returned to Belarus. He is only allowed to leave his apartment for one hour a day and must wear a tracking ankle bracelet.

Hniot insists the accusations have been fabricated and the real reason for the prosecution has been his criticism of President Alexander Lukashenko. The artist filmed mass protests against Lukashenko’s disputed reelection in 2020 and covered the retaliatory harsh crackdown on dissent before fleeing to Serbia.

More than 780 artists from various countries, including Serbia, signed the letter, dubbed Artists for Andrei, which said the director was being punished for his activism and could even face death if sent back to Belarus.

Among the signatories are French actress and president of the European Film Academy, Juliette Binoche, and Belarusian Nobel laureate, Svetlana Alexievich.

“I think for now I have very important voices which are heard all around the world,” said Hniot after leaving the letter at the presidency building in central Belgrade. "My voice for now is silent. Nobody is listening to me. And I would like maybe (that) Serbian authorities can hear these voices.”

There was no immediate reaction from Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to the letter.

A Serbian court initially ruled for Hniot’s extradition but the Court of Appeals overturned the ruling and ordered new deliberation. It was not immediately clear when the procedure would end.

Several international organizations including Amnesty International, the Committee to Protect Journalists and the International Federation for Human Rights have called on Serbia not to extradite Hniot.

In the past four years, more than a half-million Belarusians have fled their country because of a harsh crackdown on the authoritative government’s political opponents.