Extradited Russian man complains of cruel treatment in Belarus

May 4, BPN. The Russian man sentenced to two years in prison over his 13-year old daughter’s antiwar drawing has complained of severe beating by Belarusian security officers.

Officers punched and kicked him in the chest, back, and head, damaged his right leg’s muscle, and smashed his head against the wall immediately after his arrest in Smalavičy, Minsk region, on March 30, the Russian human rights group OVD-Info reported.

Alexei Moskalev told his attorney on May 3 that his thumbs remained numb after he had been handcuffed tightly during his transportation to a detention center. He is held at a pre-trial detention facility in Russia’s Smolensk following his extradition from Belarus.

Plain-clothes officers took him to Russia in an unmarked car after about a week in a Belarusian jail, he added. His whereabouts were unknown for three weeks until May 3, when he was allowed to see his lawyer.

His account and evidence reported by Belarusian human rights groups suggest that abuse and beatings are methods routinely used by Belarus’ security officers to intimidate opponents.

Russian authorities started harassing the Moskalev family after his daughter Maria drew an anti-war picture during her art class. In December 2022, they filed criminal charges against the single father over his social media posts, accusing him of discrediting the Russian army.