A criminal case against him was initiated in August 2025.
Layeuski was then detained but not taken into custody, and remained free throughout the investigation, says Yauhen Pylchanka, a lawyer at the legal center of the Belarusian Association of Journalists.
The reason for Dzmitry Layeuski's criminal prosecution was his interview with "Radio Svaboda," which he gave in June 2021 after court debates in the case of Viktar Babaryka, whom he defended. The former lawyer was accused under an article on "facilitating extremist activity," although at that time "Radio Svaboda" did not have the status of an "extremist formation." For this same interview, Dzmitry Layeuski was expelled from the Collegium of Lawyers.
Later, investigators brought seven more episodes of "extremist activity" against the former lawyer — this is how they termed his interviews with "Lyustra," "Euroradio," Deutsche Welle, Malanka Media, and others. For his conversation with "Salidarnasts" (Solidarity), he was tried under an article on "discrediting Belarus."
"In all these interviews, given mainly in 2021, Layeuski commented on criminal cases against his clients Viktar Babaryka and Maksim Znak, the persecution of lawyers who defended political prisoners, as well as his own deprivation of lawyer status," says Pylchanka.
The prosecution called them "knowingly false information about the political, social, and international situation of the Republic of Belarus."
"It turns out that Dzmitry Layeuski is being persecuted for criticizing the authorities. It is also important that all this is happening nine months after Viktar Babaryka and Maksim Znak were released from penal colonies," added Yauhen Pylchanka.
The trial of Dzmitry Layeuski began on September 2. Exactly one week later, he was sentenced to three years in prison. The man was taken into custody in the courtroom.
In 2020–2021, Dzmitry Layeuski defended politician Viktar Babaryka and lawyer Maksim Znak. Immediately after Babaryka's verdict, Layeuski was expelled from the Collegium of Lawyers. The reason for this was his speech in the court debates on the case.
Even earlier, in 2011–2012, Layeuski was the lawyer for human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. After this case, under pressure, he was forced to leave the bar for several years.
Now reading
Remember the Minsk resident who saved the flag from the feet of riot police in 2017 — at the cost of his freedom? Now he, a former political prisoner, needs help 1313
Remember the Minsk resident who saved the flag from the feet of riot police in 2017 — at the cost of his freedom? Now he, a former political prisoner, needs help 13
"They see Belarus as part of Russia." What the rise of "Alternative for Germany" means, how far it can go, and how Belarusians should position themselves 5656
Comments
[Зрэдагавана]