Prominent Rights Lawyer Imprisoned in Belarus

The useful part

© 2021 Anadolu Agency via Getty Images The Minsk City Court sentenced human rights lawyer Dmitri Laevski on September 9 to three years in prison for "aiding an extremist organization" and "discrediting" Belarus. Laevski has represented high-profile political prisoners, including opposition politician Viktar Babaryka and lawyer Maksim Znak. Laevski was charged with "aiding extremism" in connection with an interview he gave to Radio Liberty in June 2021 about Babaryka's trial.

How it works

• Click to expand Image The Minsk District Court, Belarus, August 4, 2021.
• Belarus banned Radio Liberty as "extremist" in December 2021 – half a year after the interview.
• Authorities opened a criminal case against Laevski in August 2025, according to Yauheni Pylchanka, a former colleague of Laevski.
• July 2021 in apparent reprisal for providing legal assistance to political prisoners and speaking out on human rights issues.
• Laevski gave all nine interviews before the government classified the outlets as "extremist" and, during his trial, the prosecution did not present evidence that any of his statements were false.

What to take from it

According to prosecution, he "knowingly spread false information" about Belarus by giving nine interviews to seven independent media outlets by commenting on his own disbarment, and by discussing trials and criminal cases against Babaryka and Znak, as well as the treatment of lawyers who represent political prisoners. This is not the first time Laevski faced baseless prosecution for representing political prisoners. In 2011 and 2012 he had represented Ales Bialiatski, a prominent human rights defender and a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize co-laureate.

Details worth keeping

The trial against Laevski began on September 2.