After the mass detention of lawyers, which the Belarusian security forces carried out on March 20, detaining six lawyers and searching them, Igor Losik, like some other political prisoners, was left without protection.

Artem Semyanov,

who was detained on March 20,

was the lawyer of Igor Losik, Pavel Belavus, and Valentin Stefanovych.

Lawyer

Uladzimer Stashkevich

defended Mikalai Autukhovich and Maria Kalesnikova;

Ivan Chyzhik

- Viktor Babarika;

Yury Kozikov — Maxim Znak and Yevhen Yushkevich;

Inessa Alenskaya is the lawyer of Sergei Tikhonovsky, Roman Protasevich, Nastya Loika, and Ryhor Kastusev.

Losik's lawyer Artyom Semyananov was initially sentenced to 15 days of arrest for alleged disobedience (Article 24.3 of the Code of Administrative Offenses), then another 15 days under the same article.

Igor's parents urgently started looking for a new lawyer.

The defender is the only means of communication with Losik, who has not been heard from since February 20.

A new lawyer for Igor was found in one of the small towns, Igor's parents concluded a contract with her on March 27.

On April 3rd, the new defender tried to meet with Igor in the Novopolotsk colony, but she was not allowed to see the protégé.

They say, "the prisoner did not write an application for a meeting with the defense attorney."

On April 5, the lawyer wrote a written request for a meeting without his statement, but there is still no answer from the colony.

Svaboda learned that on May 10, the lawyer unilaterally canceled the contract for the defense of Igor Losik.

She was the fourth defender of the political prisoner.

Two previous lawyers had to go abroad after the persecution, the third one served 30 days, and, as practice shows, he will not be able to continue his work after the administrative penalty.

Relatives of many political prisoners complain that it is impossible to find a lawyer in Belarus - everyone who is still working is intimidated and does not agree to take the risk.

According to the analytical report of the Right to Defense initiative, the number of lawyers in Belarus has decreased from 2,200 to 1,650 people over the past two years.

That's about a quarter.

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Criminal prosecution of Igor and Daria Losikov

Criminal proceedings were instituted against the administrator of the "RB Brain" community and the freelance consultant of Radio Svaboda Ihar Losik according to Part 1 of Art.

342 of the Criminal Code ("preparation for violation of public order") and Part 2 of Art.

293 ("preparation for participation in mass riots").

Losik was detained on June 25, 2020 after a house search in Baranavichy.

At that time, 167,000 people were subscribed to his Telegram channel "RB Brain".

Ihar Losik actively covered the events of the presidential elections of Belarus.

Human rights activists recognized him as a political prisoner.

On December 15, after the second indictment, Igor Losik announced a protest hunger strike and continued it until January 25.

On March 11, 2021, a new indictment was brought against Losik.

As a sign of protest, Igor injured his wrist in front of the lawyer and the investigator, and also announced a dry hunger strike.

For this, Losik was placed in the cell of Zhodzin remand prison.

He stayed there for five days, four of which he was on a dry hunger strike.

On December 14, 2021, in the pre-trial detention center-3 building in Gomli, judge

Mikalai Dolya

sentenced 6 defendants:

  • Ihar Losik

    was sentenced to 15 years in prison,

  • Artem Sakav

    - 16 years old,

  • Mykola Statkevich

    - 14 years old,

  • Dmitriy Popov

    - 16 years old,

  • Serhiy Tsikhanovsky

    - 18 years old,

  • Vladimir Tsyganovich

    - 15 years of imprisonment.

Daria

, the wife of Igor Losik,

was sentenced to 2 years of imprisonment in a general regime colony (according to Art. 361-4 of the Criminal Code) for an interview about her husband, in which, according to the indictment, she "positioned herself as the wife of a political prisoner."

Daria Losik was sentenced on January 19, 2023 by the judge of the Brest Regional Court

Mykola Grigarovich.