Belarusian authorities have arrested a Russian man who had fled house arrest in his country shortly before he was found guilty of defaming Kremlin forces and sentenced to prison after his daughter drew a cartoon at her school against the invasion of Ukraine.
The newspaper reportedThe TimesThe British said that Alexei Moskalyov, 54, was arrested in the capital, Minsk, according to the spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Interior of Belarus, Natalia Sakhaarchuk.
The spokeswoman confirmed that Moskalyov was being held “at the request of the Russian police.”
Moskalyov drew international media attention this week after he was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison in a case that highlighted the extent of the Kremlin’s campaign against opponents of the invasion and the policies of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The court, which was convened in Moskalyov’s hometown of Yefremov, 290 kilometers south of Moscow, issued a judgment in absentia against him last Tuesday, because the latter had fled the day before from his apartment, where he was under house arrest.
Moskalyov was charged over social media posts criticizing the invasion of Ukraine under a law adopted shortly after the war began in February last year.
During his one-day trial, Moskaliev insisted through his lawyer that he had nothing to do with the publications.
According to his lawyers and supporters, Moskalyov’s troubles began after his daughter, Maria, now 13, drew an anti-war picture at her school, in which it depicted missiles flying with the Russian flag over a woman and a child with the words “No to war and glory to Ukraine”.
The lawyer explained that the school called the police, the girl was interrogated, and his father was fined for critical comments on social media.
This month, Moskalyov’s apartment was raided again and a criminal case was opened against him, before he was placed under house arrest, while his daughter was sent to an orphanage.
Memorial Organization, one of Russia’s oldest and most prominent human rights groups and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, declared Moskalyov a political prisoner.
Next week, a court in Yefremov is expected to hear a petition by the authorities to restrict Moskalyov’s rights as guardian of his children.