Open LETTER for the Release of Belarusian Filmmaker Andrei Gnyot
Joining our colleagues at the European Film Academy (EFA), we stand in solidarity with the Belarusian Independent Film Academy (BIFA) and our Belarusian colleagues, several of whom continue to live under the pressure of the Belarusian regime’s constant persecution of its more outspoken and critical citizens.
Arrested and currently imprisoned in Serbia, Belarusian filmmaker/activist Andrei Gnyot is facing the immediate danger of being extradited to Belarus, where he is facing imprisonment, torture and even the possibility of the death penalty. The International Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk (ICFR) urgently protests against his arrest and calls upon the Serbian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Andrei Gnyot.
Andrei Gnyot is known for making documentary footage during the Belarus 2020 protests and recording athletes’ appeals for free and fair elections. He is being prosecuted by the Belarusian regime for these activities. Andrei was arrested in Serbia because Interpol initially accepted the request of the Belarusian regime to search for him. Despite Interpol eventually dropping the request, Serbia did not release Andrei, and with their cooperation, Andrei could be extradited any moment.
Signing this letter is not much – but it is the least we can do to stand up against injustice from a distance.