"Used the word 'kolkhozan' on social media." Why former Young Front member Yauhen Skočka might have been sentenced

Yauhen Skočka, former deputy chairman of the "Young Front," who had long since left politics, was sentenced to three years in prison. According to "Viasna" human rights center, Yauhen Skočka was accused of "facilitating extremist activities" (Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code), "defamation" and "insulting Lukashenka" (Arts. 367 and 368 of the Criminal Code), as well as "discrediting the Republic of Belarus" (Art. 369-1 of the Criminal Code).

From the details of Yauhen Skočka's case, it is only known that in a comment on social media he used the word "kolkhozan" (колхазан - roughly "collective farm worker" used pejoratively) and disputed that "Belarus is a legal country."

After the trial, which took place in early February, Belarusian human rights defenders recognized Skočka as a political prisoner.

A source familiar with Yauhen Skočka's case told "Radio Svaboda" about the conditions of his detention and the political prisoner's mood.

"During six months in the pre-trial detention center, his cell was changed three times; now he is in a small one, for 10 people. He said his bunk is on the top tier, and everyone up there has yellow tags, meaning they are political prisoners. For the most part, he didn't complain about the conditions, his mood is normal. He only grumbles about the prison food because he has allergies to some dishes," the source said.

The Supreme Court of Belarus confirmed Yauhen's sentence in April. This means that the political prisoner will soon be transferred from the Homiel pre-trial detention center to a penal colony, but which one has not yet been announced.

According to the source, the main concern for Yauhen is that his condition might worsen due to more difficult conditions in the colony.

"He has high blood pressure, special medications are prescribed and he receives them, that's for sure. He also has instability of the cervical vertebrae, which also requires certain medical measures – he needs to wear a special 'collar.' This is all done in the pre-trial detention center, but how it will be in the colony is unknown.

And his eyesight has worsened. He reads a lot, but the lighting there is insufficient. He understands all this, but at the same time asked not to worry about him too much, saying that he would endure everything, that he was prepared for everything," the source recounted about Yauhen Skočka's health problems.

What Yauhen Skočka is known for

In the late 90s, for several years, Yauhen Skočka was elected deputy chairman of the "Young Front" – a youth public organization that was at the epicenter of the struggle against Lukashenka's dictatorship and fought for the preservation of Belarus's independence.

The then chairman of the "Young Front," Paval Sieviaryniec, called Yauhen Skočka "a very charismatic and creative politician, with whom it was always interesting to work alongside."

Павялічыць

Viktar Zhaun, Yauhen Skočka and Uladz Labkovich, Minsk, 1998

"It was with him that we organized processions to European embassies on Valentine's Day; he personally invented and conducted performances that even Russian television mentioned in their evening news. Very creative, charismatic. For one incident, when a pack of fireworks unexpectedly exploded, a criminal case was opened against him, and he was sentenced to one year of probation. He moved to Homiel, from where he planned to return to Minsk, but he met his soulmate there, started a family, had children – and he stayed there," Paval Sieviaryniec recounted about Yauhen Skočka.

The politician did not venture to determine why, after more than 20 years, the Belarusian authorities remembered the former Young Front member and decided to punish him with imprisonment.

"When Skočka was first tried for those fireworks in 2000, it sometimes happened that cases fell apart due to lack of evidence. Now that is impossible. They will find an undesirable post on the phone – and that will be enough to send anyone to prison, let alone a well-known opposition figure," believes Paval Sieviaryniec.

In October 2026, Yauhen Skočka will turn 50. Before his arrest, he lived with his family in Homiel and was engaged in entrepreneurship. He has three children.

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