Andrei Shmai

Prisoner

Date of detention: 19 January 2023

Charges indicted:

  • Article 358-1 of the Criminal Code — Agent activity
  • Article 358 of the Criminal Code — Espionage

Sentence: unknown

Penalty: imprisonment in a general-security penal colony

Judge: Yauhen Burunou

Notes: Foreign citizens, War in Ukraine

Andrei Shmai

Andrei Shmai is a citizen of Ukraine. He is charged under two articles of the Criminal Code: Article 358 (espionage) and Article 358-1 (agent activity). Judge Yauhen Burunou began to consider his case in the Viciebsk Regional Court on February 15, 2024. 

Andrei has been detained in pre-trial detention center No. 2 since January 19, 2023. He was arrested right at his workplace. For a long time the family did not know what had happened to him, and only two weeks later Andrei's wife received a phone call from the authorities. The man, who identified himself as an investigator, asked her to hand over her husband's documents. He gave no further details.

Andrei was born in Chernihiv. He moved to Belarus after his marriage. The family lived in Viciebsk for 10 years. 

 

Addresses of prisons:

What should I know and how to help?

✉️ Write a letter. Make a scan of your letter or postcard and share it online

🤝 Please use the Russian (or Belarusian) name of the prison

💡 Foreign-language messages may be blocked, so attach a translation (e.g. translate.google.com)

💡 A big guide about helping Belarusian political prisoners from abroad

💡 More tips here

Support “Viasna”