Moscow Regional Court has ruled that Alyaksei Kudzin, a multiple world champion in kickboxing and Thai boxing, is not threatened with torture in Belarus. His criminal prosecution is not politically motivated, reports the telegram channel Sbornaya ZOZH.
The court has refused to satisfy the defenders’ complaint against the decision to extradite him to Belarus.
Kudzin is accused in Belarus under Article 363 of the Criminal Code (“Resistance to police officers”). He faces up to five years in jail under this article.
Kudzin was detained after a protest rally in Maladzechna on August 10, when he was shot. The athlete was released on August 21, with criminal proceedings against him, and put under house arrest.
On November 19, Kudzin did not show up at the court hearing, and the judge changed his preventive measure to detention. He was officially put on the wanted list.
In January 2021, it was reported that Kudzin was detained in Moscow at the request of the Belarusian authorities. Later, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus sent an appeal for extradition to Russia. Belarusian and Russian athletes have expressed support for Kudzin.
