An Initiative to Highlight the Torturous Detention Conditions of Attorney Maksim Znak Has Emerged on the Internet
On December 2, 2023, coinciding with Belarus' official Lawyer's Day, a campaign calling for an end to the torture of Maksim Znak was launched online. The website www.maksimznak.org details the history of Maksim’s persecution and features a downloadable poster with the message 'Stop torturing Maksim Znak.' You can share the poster on social networks and/or send it to the Belarusian authorities, demanding an end to the attorney’s torture.
Maksim is currently held in penal colony No. 3 in Belarus. Since February 2023, he has been entirely cut off from the outside world: authorities have barred visits from his lawyers, prohibited phone calls, and stopped all forms of correspondence, including with his family. This type of detention, where a detainee is denied access to legal counsel and communication, is called incommunicado.
All lawyers who have defended Maksim have been disbarred. As highlighted on the website, there is grave concern for his life and health; Maksim Znak is not only unjustly imprisoned but also subjected to torturous conditions.
The Right to Defence project backs the campaign to bring awareness to Maksim Znak's incommunicado detention. It urges the Belarusian authorities to permit legal visits to the political prisoner, allow the exchange of letters, and demands that all charges against him be dropped and that he be released.