BELGRADE -- Belarusian journalist and political activist Andrey Hnyot (aka Andrew Gnyot) on September 16 submitted an appeal to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's office -- signed by more than 780 international and Serbian creators, artists, and intellectuals -- requesting that he not be extradited to Minsk and calling for his release.
Among the signatories were French actress Juliette Binoche, Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos, and Belarusian Nobel Prize-winning author Svetlana Alexievich.
Hnyot, speaking outside of the Serbian presidential building in Belgrade, said that if extradited to Belarus, he would face "torture" and "likely the death penalty."
"The regime is carrying out horrific repression against political dissidents, journalists, and activists, and it is worsening by the day. There is no justice left in Belarus," he added.
Hnyot was arrested at Belgrade's airport in late October 2023 on an Interpol warrant issued by Belarus, which has since been revoked. The critic of the Belarusian regime is accused of tax evasion by Minsk.
Since June, his detention has been replaced with house arrest, and he is awaiting Serbia's final decision on his extradition.
Hnyot announced he would also submit the appeal to other top Serbian officials in the coming days.
Several Serbian public figures who signed the appeal gathered in front of the presidency to show their support for Hnyot.
Writer Vladimir Arsenijevic told RFE/RL, "the fate of Andrey Hnyot concerns all of us."
SEE ALSO: Belgrade Court Annuls Decision To Extradite Belarusian Activist, But Orders Case To Be Retried"We know the state of democracy in that country and the fate that awaits dissidents and those who oppose the regime. I believe it is shameful for our country to be involved in something like this," Arsenijevic said.
Film director Janko Baljak said that by signing the appeal with his colleagues, he aimed to make "a final cry against the threat to human freedoms" in Belarus and Serbia.
"I am here to support an unjustly imprisoned artist who has spent a year in a Kafkaesque nightmare, in which my country is partly complicit. As a citizen, I feel guilty," Baljak said.
On September 11, the Belgrade Court of Appeals annulled the Higher Court's decision to extradite Hnyot to Belarus and returned the case for reconsideration.
The Appeals Court explained that the objections raised in the appeal were valid, challenging the legality and correctness of the initial decision by the lower court.
In his first reaction to the decision, Hnyot said it was good news that he was not being extradited to Belarus for now but added that his status as a "prisoner" remained unchanged, as he is still under house arrest.
Numerous NGOs and activists have opposed Hnyot's extradition, pointing out that the regime of authoritarian Belarusian leader Alyaksandr Lukashenka is "one of the most brutal and repressive in the world."
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They say that political prisoners in Belarus face long sentences in harsh conditions, with some having died in custody.
Hnyot has called the Belarusian charges against him by "false," describing them as part of a "systemic mechanism of persecution" of political opponents by the Minsk regime.
He was one of hundreds of thousands of Belarusians who participated in mass protests of 2020, contesting Lukashenka's victory in the presidential election.
Hnyot is also the founder of the Free Association of Athletes (SOS BY), which is considered an extremist organization in Belarus.
In an open letter signed by more than 2,000 Belarusian athletes and sports representatives, the organization demanded the annulment of the 2020 election results, Lukashenka's resignation, and freedom for all those arrested during postelection demonstrations.
Western countries do not recognize the results of the elections, and the European Union has imposed sanctions on Minsk for the repression of demonstrators.
Lukashenka, in power for 30 years, is accused of severe repression of political opponents.
More than 1,500 political prisoners are currently held in Belarusian prisons, including journalists, human rights activists, and politicians, according to rights groups.
Between 200,000 and 500,000 Belarusians have fled their homeland following the crackdown on protests since 2020.