He had four teeth knocked out, and then was expelled from the country. Now the former political prisoner has been arrested in Latvia with six migrants in his car

On May 8, 2026, a car carrying six undocumented individuals was stopped in Latvia. A citizen of Belarus was behind the wheel. Latvian law enforcement did not disclose his name. As "Nasha Niva" learned, the detainee is 40-year-old Minsk resident Yauhen Siamionau, a former political prisoner who was released from a Belarusian colony in September 2025 and forcibly deported to Lithuania. He spent less than eight months at large.

The car was making strange maneuvers

On the morning of May 8, Latvian territorial defense forces Zemessardze noticed a suspicious car in Preiļi Municipality. The car was making strange maneuvers on the road. The military followed it until the vehicle was stopped by State Police officers.

A citizen of Belarus was behind the wheel. In the cabin were six people "of Asian origin," as formulated by the Latvian State Border Guard. They did not have travel documents, visas, or residence permits.

A criminal case was initiated against the Belarusian under Part 3¹ of Article 285 of the Latvian Criminal Law – illegal movement of people across the state border during an intensified border protection regime. Such actions can be punished by imprisonment for a term of two to ten years, with possible confiscation of property.

Publicly, the Latvian authorities have not disclosed either the name of the detained Belarusian or his further procedural status.

Five Years for Comments, Theft, and Escaping "Restricted Freedom"

Yauhen Siamionau was born in 1986 and lived in Minsk. Before his imprisonment, he worked as a social worker — in a state service for assisting elderly people and people with disabilities.

He was arrested on February 26, 2021. The reason was two comments he left on Telegram back in December 2020. According to the case materials, Siamionau published personal data of GUBOPiK officers Ivan Tarasik and Aliaksandr Alioksa, adding an offensive comment and words that the investigation considered a threat. Mikalai Dziadok later named both security officials as being involved in torture after his own arrest.

In addition, Siamionau was also tried on 11 episodes of theft from an acquaintance (Parts 1 and 2 of Article 205 of the Criminal Code) and for evading "restricted freedom" (home chemistry) which he had previously received under drug article 328.

On July 7, 2021, the Savetski District Court of Minsk sentenced him to five years in a penal colony. In addition, the man had to pay 8150 rubles in compensation. Human rights activists recognized Yauhen Siamionau as a political prisoner.

After detention, he was left without four front teeth

Siamionau, as a recidivist, was sent to penal colony No. 11 in Vaukavysk. There he met another political prisoner — Pavel Vinahradau.

“He was one of the first political prisoners I talked to in the zone. We lived in the same barrack. But we couldn't communicate much: I was mostly in solitary confinement, and you can't really talk there,” Pavel Vinahradau told "Nasha Niva".

Both were taken to the Orsha prison hospital with suspected tuberculosis. Siamionau's tuberculosis was not confirmed, so he was returned to Vaukavysk.

When Pavel Vinahradau first saw Yauhen, he was missing four front teeth.

“He said that during his arrest, they were knocked out with a rifle butt. The blow to his jaw was serious, and later other teeth also started falling out. After his release, he managed to get everything repaired,” says Pavel.

In the penal colony, Siamionau, according to him, did not particularly stand out: like many political prisoners, he periodically ended up in the punishment cell. At the same time, he knew English well, easily got to know people, and was good at maintaining a conversation.

“He has quite developed soft skills. He's a pleasant person to communicate with. On February 23rd, he gave me a pack of oatmeal cookies with the words: ‘Well, you're a defender of the Fatherland,’ ” Pavel recalls.

“I was going abroad anyway”

On September 11, 2025, Belarusian authorities released 52 political prisoners. They were put on buses and taken to Lithuania without documents. Among those deported were Pavel Vinahradau and Yauhen Siamionau. They sat next to each other on the bus.

“Zhenia was pleased with the fact that he was immediately being taken abroad. He had a few months left until the end of his term, and he said that after his release, he was going to leave anyway,” Pavel recounts.

In Lithuania, Siamionau tried to start a new life. He twice took up unofficial work — likely in construction. And twice, according to Vinahradau, he did not receive his earned money. After this, he decided to look for something else.

“He said: ‘I'll get a job as a taxi driver, I'll transport people.’ He must have found work,” says Pavel Vinahradau.

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