A Czech court on Aug. 21 heard an appeal against the denial of international protection to 23-year-old Belarusian Yakau Kudzyalevich and ruled in the young man’s favor. His father, Dzmitry Kudzyalevich, reported this on Facebook.
“The decision is in our favor! A clear example of how two branches of government — the judiciary and the executive — operate independently of each other”, Kudelevich wrote.
He thanked organizations, human rights defenders, lawyers and everyone who supported the family during the four-month proceedings.
“Thank you for every letter, every petition, every guarantee! For financial contributions, advice and recommendations!”, he added, naming the Office of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Bělaruské studentstvo ČR z.s, the Coordination Council, the Samostijnaja Ükrajina Foundation, the Democracy Angels Foundation, the Viasna Human Rights Center, the Office of Belarusian Democratic Forces in the Czech Republic, the Office of Belarusian Democratic Forces in Ukraine, the Office of Belarusian Democratic Forces in Italy, the BYSOL Foundation, the BYMEDSOL Medical Solidarity Foundation, the White Coats media project, lawyer Aliaksandr Tsikhanau, intensive care physician and head of the NIP department Siarhei Yurchanka, and lawyer Alvina Mingazova.
Yakau Kudzyalevich left Belarus at the age of 17 after the 2020 protests. He studied in the Czech Republic for several years, but later encountered problems with obtaining legal status and applied for international protection. Yakau and his father had previously taken part in protests in Belarus and were forced to leave the country. The Czech Interior Ministry initially denied the young man protection, after which the decision was appealed in court.
Yakau’s story attracted widespread attention after he was found unconscious in early April in a room at a reception center for migrants who had applied for international protection. According to doctors, the young man had taken several medications and remained unconscious for about a day. He was taken to hospital, where he spent 73 days in a coma. Yakau later regained consciousness. His father had previously said that his son’s condition was affected by personal circumstances, problems obtaining legal status and fear of returning to Belarus.
