Armenia refuses to extradite Belarusian dissident despite prosecutor’s overtures

October 23, Pozirk. The Armenian migration authority grant Belarusian dissident Kirył Bałandzin asylum, refusing to extradite him to Belarus at Minsk’s request, RFE/RL Armenian Service reported.

The move comes weeks after Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrej Švied appealed to his Armenian counterpart Anna Vardapetyan to grant Belarus’ extradition requests during a visit to Yerevan.

Belarusian prosecutors accuse Bałandzin of embezzlement, but the real reason for persecution is his participation in the 2020 postelection protests, his lawyer said.

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office ruled to extradite him to Belarus in late May following his arrest at the border between Armenia and Georgia. The man was awaiting extradition in custody after Armenian courts upheld the decision.

Armenia rejected several extradition requests from Belarus in 2024 following a sharp deterioration in relations between Minsk and Yerevan over Alaksandar Łukašenka’s support for Azerbaijan’s capture of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Also read: Lawyer fears Armenia may soon extradite wanted Belarusian national