Dzmitry Buyanau (Soltan)

Affiliated media: Belsat, Freelance videographer

Incident date: February 8, 2021

Attack type:

• Non-fatal attack / beating / injury / torture

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

Freelance journalists Lyubou Lunyova and Dzmitry Soltan were detained while filming in the city centre near the Philharmonic Society. The law enforcers took the film crew to Sovetski District Police Department, where they were drawn up administrative reports and were sent to the detention centre on Akrestsina until the trial. On February 10, the Sovetski District Court of Minsk found the journalists guilty under Article 17.1 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus (petty hooliganism) on the basis of police reports. The judge sentenced Soltan to 15 days of arrest, Lunyova got 10 days of arrest. After his release, Soltan told about torture and beating by law enforcers: when he answered the questions of the police, they beat him in the stomach with a truncheon.