On Thursday, Serbia’s Higher Court in Belgrade ruled to extradite Belarusian filmmaker Andrei Gnet to Belarus. This decision was made under the stipulations of the Law on International Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and an interstate agreement between Serbia and Belarus established on January 3, 2019.
Gnet is accused by Belarusian authorities of tax evasion, specifically under Article 243(2) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. He was arrested by Serbian border services on October 30, 2023, due to him being listed on the Belarusian Interpol Bureau’s international wanted list. Following his arrest, Belarus requested his extradition for criminal prosecution.
Gnet has contested the court’s ruling, stating that he plans to appeal. He and his legal team argue that the charges against him are politically motivated. Lawyer Mikhail Kirilyuk has also voiced disagreement with the court’s decision to apply Article 243 of the Belarusian Criminal Code in this case.
Gnet, who is also a journalist, co-founded the Free Association of Athletes of Belarus. The organization was labelled an extremist group by Belarusian state security after it supported protests against the 2020 presidential election results. For more details on the court’s decision, you can read the full article here.