Belarus imprisons kickboxing champion extradited by Russia

Belarusian kickboxing champion Alexey Kudin (Aliaksei Kudzin) has been handed a prison sentence in Belarus, just weeks after Russia delivered him to Minsk. On August 11, a court in the Belarusian city of Maladzyechna sentenced Kudin to two and half years in prison for resisting arrest at a protest rally, the Viasna Human Rights Center reported. 

Kudin was accused of hitting two police officers during an opposition demonstration in Maladzyechna on August 10, 2020 — the day after the contested presidential election in Belarus. The athlete said that he acted in self-defense. After the launch of the criminal case against him, Kudin was placed under house arrest in Belarus, but later fled to Russia. He was detained in Moscow in January 2021 at the request of Minsk. 

On July 21, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled against his extradition to Belarus, citing a threat of persecution and torture. Nevertheless, a Russian court went against the ECHR’s ruling that same day and upheld the Attorney General’s decision on extradition. The kickboxer was subsequently handed over to the Belarusian authorities.

Following Kudin’s extradition to Belarus, the state television channel ONT released a “confession” video, in which he apologized to the injured law enforcement officers and said he had fully compensated them for the damage. Belarusian prosecutors requested three and half years in prison for Kudin.