# Czech citizen Vital Dzemidchyk sentenced to six years in prison in Belarus, human rights defenders link the case to donations

- URL: https://syn.by/en/state/human-rights/czech-citizen-vital-dzemidchyk-sentenced/
- Published: 2026-10-29T10:00:35+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-29T10:00:35+00:00
- Section: Human Rights
- Language: en
- RU edition: https://syn.by/ru/gosudarstvo/prava-cheloveka/vitaliya-dyemidchika-osudili-na-shyest-lyet.md
- BE edition: https://syn.by/dziarzhava/pravy-chalaveka/hramadzianina-chechii-vitalia-dziamidchyka-asudzili-na-shesc.md

> The 52-year-old native of Hrodna, who holds Belarusian and Czech citizenship, came to visit his sick mother and was detained on 30 June 2026. Human rights defenders have recognised him as a political prisoner.

![](https://syn.by/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/illustration-5596-1024x585.webp)

A Belarusian court has sentenced Vital Dzemidchyk, a citizen of the Czech Republic and Belarus, to six years in prison. Kryscina Shyenok, a representative of Tsikhanouskaya's Office in Prague, wrote about the sentence on 28 October. According to her, the man had come to Belarus to visit his sick mother.

Dzemidchyk is 52 and was born in Hrodna in 1974. Since 2006 he had lived permanently in the Czech Republic, where he obtained Czech citizenship and kept his Belarusian passport.

In Prague he ran a business: from spring 2025 he was registered as a sole proprietor. His activity was connected with freight transport, IT and property rental.

He was detained on 30 June 2026, when he came to Belarus to visit his sick mother.

According to human rights defenders, the grounds for the criminal prosecution were donations he made, probably to the Kalinouski Regiment. He was charged over donations in support of Ukraine. Which transfers exactly, and through which channels, is unknown.

The human rights centre Viasna recognised Dzemidchyk as a political prisoner on 2 October.

Belarusian legislation does not officially recognise dual citizenship, and people with two passports are liable under the Criminal Code on the same footing as everyone else. Liability arises regardless of citizenship if an act qualifies as a crime under Belarusian law.

For donations to organisations banned by the authorities, including opposition military formations, at least 77 people had been prosecuted as of 29 May 2024, according to Viasna. By 22 November 2024 there were already 91 such people.

For those who live abroad but travel to Belarus to see relatives, the Dzemidchyk case shows a concrete risk. Arriving with a foreign passport, or with two passports, does not protect against prosecution for transfers made abroad.