On October 22, 2024, the Migration and Citizenship Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia made a decision to grant V. Balandin refugee status. The HCAV office and the coordinator of the Legal Department of the Organization Ani Chatinyan have been engaged in protecting Balandin’s rights for more than 8 months to prevent his extradition to the Republic of Belarus. V. Balandin is no longer at risk of extradition, as he has refugee status in the Republic of Armenia and his extradition is prohibited by the Convention norm.
It should be recalled that criminal prosecution has been initiated against V. Balandin in Belarus under Article 211 of the Criminal Code. The criminal case was initiated because V. Balandin participated in actions of disobedience, exercising his right to freedom of expression. V. Balandin has been in prison in Armenia since March 10, 2024.
V. The work of the HCAV on the Balandin case:
Armenia should reject the extradition request of a country that uses the death penalty
The Republic of Armenia will be responsible for any violation of V. Balandin’s rights after his extradition to Belarus
