Political prisoner Andrei Haidukou released from Vitebsk jail

Andrei Haidukou was told to collect his belongings at 6 a.m., though prisoners are usually released from jail around 11 a.m. At 7 a.m., Andrei was put into police car and was brought to the Vitebsk station.

Now Andrei is in Vitebsk, and he is about to leave for his home in Navapolatsk. He said on the phone that he considers his criminal case completely fabricated. He also noted that the case was a provocation against his organization.

On 8 November 2012, Andrei Haidukou was detained by KGB officers and put to the KGB investigative isolation facility.

On November 2012, the KGB disseminated the information about the suspension of criminal activity of a Belarusian citizen who was collecting and passing information of political and economic character at the instruction of a foreign secret service. The criminal case under part 1 of Art. 256 of the Criminal Code (treason be means of covert intelligence work) was initiated against him.

On 1 July 2013, Andrei was sentenced to 1.5 years of imprisonment under the Criminal Code’s article “attempt to establish cooperation with the secret police, security authority or authorities of a foreign state.”