Uladz (Vladimir) Hrydzin

Affiliated media: Photographer, Freelance journalist

Incident date: February 4, 2022

Attack type:

• Search with a court decree

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)

Location: Belarus, Minsk

Additional information:

The law enforcers broke into the flat of the photographer Uladz Gridzin, searched the apartment, and then detained him. He was held in the temporary detention facility on Akrestsina for three days until the trial. When his phone was not reachable, his relatives went to his home and saw that there was mayhem: his belongings and rubbish had been scattered on the floor. A laptop and a camera were missing from the flat. On February 7, the Frunzenski District Court of Minsk found Gridzin guilty of «disobedience to police» (Article 24.3 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Belarus) and arrested him for 13 days. During the search, he allegedly «disobeyed the lawful orders» of the policeman and did not let the law enforcers into the flat. According to the court materials, the search was carried out as part of a large criminal case № 201 21 11 02 02 on «mass riots» with «thousands of suspects», conducted by the Minsk department of the Investigative Committee.