Musician Siarhei Mikhalok will go on trial in absentia on July 29. The Minsk City Court will hear his case under a special proceeding procedure, the human rights center Viasna reports.
Special proceedings against Mikhalok were initiated in May this year. He is charged with inciting hatred (Part 1, Article 130 of the Criminal Code) and insulting Lukashenka (Part 1, Article 368 of the Criminal Code).
It became known in January 2025 that a criminal case had been opened against Mikhalok on charges of insulting Lukashenka. His photograph appeared on “Wanted by the Police” boards.
Siarhei Mikhalok is the founder and leader of the bands Lyapis Trubetskoy, Brutto, and Drezden. In 2020, he announced that none of his projects would perform in Belarus until the Lukashenka regime is replaced.
