Do you remember the Minsk resident who saved a flag from under the feet of riot police in 2017 — at the cost of his freedom? Now he, a former political prisoner, needs help

«BYPOL» has opened a fundraiser to help Andrus build a new life abroad. You can participate here.

Andrus Asmalouski became famous across the internet on March 25, 2017, Freedom Day. During a crackdown at Yakub Kolas Square, riot police knocked a white-red-white flag from the hands of a demonstrator, and it landed on the asphalt near a police van. Suddenly, a young man appeared in camera lenses — that same Asmalouski. Andrus loudly declared: "Let's raise the flag again!" — and lifted it. A few moments later, the young man was also dragged into the police van.

Read also:"We're raising the flag again." The story of the guy who raised the flag and ended up in a police van

In the evening, the guy was released without a protocol. He believes this happened because it was his first time. But Andrus had been active in the protest movement for over 20 years.

And after the events of 2020, Asmalouski became a political prisoner.

Павялічыць

"Yes, returning to Belarus was my mistake"

As of 2020, Asmalouski was involved in cars — he was a representative in Minsk for a consignment store that sold cars across the country. An architect by education, in his free time Andrus helped friends and acquaintances with design and architectural planning.

Павялічыць

In September and October 2020, Asmalouski was detained at marches: one time it resulted in a fine, the second time — in administrative arrest. The detention was very harsh; Andrus was severely beaten, and he developed neurosis on the right side of his torso.

And at the end of November 2020, he was summoned to the Investigative Committee. He avoided interrogation, but after a search at his registration address, he did go to the security forces. And this was the point of no return:

"They said I was a suspect in a case under Article 342. I had a Schengen visa, they also made me a Polish national visa, so I quickly packed up and left for Poland."

In Poland, as a victim after his administrative arrest, the "Belarusian House" offered him several weeks of rehabilitation. But in the first days of 2021, he still had to start building a life in a new place, and Andrus went to Warsaw.

He rented a cottage and housed Belarusians there, planning to create a shelter. But there was one problem — his beloved refused to leave Belarus until she resolved family complications and document issues.

"She refused to come to me, and because of that, I practically had to return to Belarus. And I had prepared everything for her — found her a job, bought what was needed... I had to leave some things, gave some away."

While the woman remained in Belarus, Asmalouski received disturbing signals — Andrus's parents were called, and he later realized he was then on a wanted list.

Павялічыць

And yet, he chose to go to Belarus. Why?

"Firstly, my civil wife called me — she said that nothing threatened me and that everything in Belarus had long since stopped. When I returned, we were both arrested only six months later. And they came for her, at her address, and found me there too.

Of course, I was naive. I thought that since I had already served my days and paid a fine, who would need me there. Yes, it was my mistake, but I also did it a bit out of desperation, because our relationship started to deteriorate," the man reflects.

When Andrus returned to his homeland, his criminal case was suspended due to lack of evidence. And still, his arrival in Belarus was uneasy:

"At the border, they debated what to do with me. They searched the entire bus, and they kept me last until they finally let me go. They took all sorts of undertakings — where I would live, what I would do, told me to stay in touch and come at the first summons."

Павялічыць

"I admitted guilt only at the closing of the case, when I learned that others had admitted it"

In Belarus, Asmalouski, he says, was forgotten for six months — the man explains this by saying that they found no significant evidence against him. He and his beloved were later detained for another episode, for the march of August 23, 2020. A photo of the UCP (United Civic Party) active members with 6 party members was found — besides the head of the UCP Nikolai Kozlov, Andrus and his partner were also there.

There were flags in that photo — the national flag and the UCP flag. With that photo, they were convicted under Article 342:

"The photograph surfaced, and all of us were dragged in together as accomplices. There were aggravating circumstances — a group of persons, prior conspiracy... We were divided into two groups to identify the leaders of those groups and give them the maximum sentence: Kozlov was singled out in one group, and I in the other.

Now I wouldn't do it that way, but then I did as my civil wife said. She kept saying that we should admit everything, they would give two years of "chemistry" (correctional labor), we'd sit at home and rest. It turned out that I got three years in a penal colony, and she got two."

The court delivered its decision on the case at the end of October 2022. While Andrus and his beloved were still in Volodarka (pre-trial detention center), they tried to register their marriage but didn't manage to complete the paperwork. Many documents were needed, as they were both divorced.

Павялічыць

Andrus proposed marriage. If everything had worked out, the couple would have had the opportunity to communicate from their colonies: at least correspond, and from time to time have video calls. But they simply didn't manage to get married, and so after three years together, the relationship ended.

His former beloved was released in spring 2024. When Andrus was released, they didn't even speak — as he was told, the woman had changed a lot behind bars.

Asmalouski served his term in a penal colony in Volchy Nory and was released on April 30, 2025. As early as May 4, he tried to leave Belarus:

"I bought tickets from Moscow to Chisinau, then wanted to fly to Antalya, Turkey. But at Domodedovo, they told me I was banned from leaving. After my release, the court did not provide the necessary information to the police.

I returned to Minsk and sought to cancel that travel ban. On August 15, I left, and also changed my passport."

"Every night before leaving, I would go to bed worried if they wouldn't take me again in the morning"

Behind bars, Andrus lost not only his beloved but also his property and business. He recalls seeing his garage looted after his release and losing his rented apartment, which he had once renovated and where his property was. As for his business, while Andrus was behind bars, his friend and partner in the company passed away. Asmalouski's assets in that company disappeared.

They also didn't leave him alone. On May 28, Andrus was summoned to the Investigative Committee to close that suspended case from 2020:

"They held me for a couple of hours, checked my phone. I was prepared, of course, because the meeting wasn't sudden — they called me and arranged for me to come."

Павялічыць

I didn't want anything else to surface, for them to find some comment or distribution of protest symbols. I don't want to sit there again. Every night before leaving, I would go to bed worried if they wouldn't take me again in the morning."

The man is currently in Georgia and awaiting an EU visa. After leaving Belarus, he underwent medical rehabilitation, and then helped another political prisoner, Raman Ramanau, also come for recovery. But Ramanau, Andrus's friend from the colony, didn't make it — he died at the end of April 2026. And the documents he was bringing Andrus from Belarus were also lost with Raman.

Building a life anew is not easy. Andrus now combines difficult studies with equally difficult work:

"Human rights defenders offer former political prisoners retraining. I'm trying to return to my specialty, i.e., architectural design, but everything has changed there; AI does a lot.

A specialty in AI was found at a German-American online school, where tuition costs over $3000. Human rights defenders were able to give me a grant for only part of the tuition."

Andrus studies from 11 AM to 4 PM, five days a week, but he also needs to earn a living. Since studies are during the day, he has to work at night, and the man found a job in a grocery store. His work is hard, and to at least slightly ease his life, Asmalouski applied for a personal fundraiser on "BYPOL".

"It's work from 10 PM to 10 AM. I return home at 10:30, and by 11 AM, after a night without sleep, I have to study. I study until 4 PM — and then sleep until 9 PM. I work two days on, two days off, but it's still very hard. I'm thinking of quitting that job, I really hope the money from the fundraiser will help," he says.

Павялічыць

«BYPOL» has opened a fundraiser to help Andrus build a new life abroad. You can participate here.

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