Vyacheslav (Vaclav) Oreshko

Affiliated media: Journalist

Incident date: April 17, 2025

Attack type:

• Non-fatal attack / beating / injury / torture

Who attacked: Authorities

Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists

Location: Belarus, Ivatsevichy

Additional information:

It has become known that journalist and publicist Vyacheslav (Vaclav) Oreshko, who was sentenced to eight years in prison, is experiencing serious health problems while in detention. He has nearly gone blind and, according to a former inmate of the colony, “can barely see beyond the length of his own arm.” The 70-year-old Oreshko tried to obtain disability status due to his vision loss. On January 5, 2023, Judge Anastasiya Popko of the Minsk City Court found Vyacheslav Oreshko guilty under several criminal articles that have recently been used in politically motivated cases: calls for sanctions (Part 3 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code), inciting social hatred (Part 3 of Article 130), and creation of or participation in an extremist organization (Parts 1 and 3 of Article 361-1). He was sent to serve his sentence in Correctional Facility No. 22 in the city of Ivatsevichy.