The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent a letter to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, confirming that she is well aware of the case involving Belarusian movie director, activist, and journalist Andrei Hniot.
“The European Commission is in direct contact with the Serbian side. More specifically, the EU Delegation in Belgrade attended the court hearing and immediately contacted the authorities after the decision of the Higher Court. We have communicated our position on Mr. Hniot’s case to the country’s leadership and outlined our expectations. Andrei Hniot’s case must be handled in accordance with international human rights laws and EU standards”, noted Ursula von der Leyen.
The European Commission President also emphasized that EU countries have repeatedly conveyed the following to the Serbian authorities:
🔴 The arrest warrant for Mr. Hniot is politically motivated;
🔴 If extradited to Belarus, he would face persecution.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office works daily at the political level on the extradition issues faced by Belarusians in more than 15 countries. Regarding Andrei Hniet’s case, the Office is in constant communication with Belarusian and international human rights defenders, the foreign ministries of several European countries, representatives of EU bodies, the US, the UN, and Serbia. The Office also maintains regular contact with Andrei himself. Thanks to this cooperation between democratic forces and the international community, Interpol canceled its red notice for Andrei Hniot in July.
