Belarus opposition figure extradited from Vietnam faces terrorism charges, possible death penalty

TALLINN, Estonia — A Belarusian opposition figure was detained in Vietnam and extradited to Belarus, where he is facing charges of terrorism and possibly a death penalty, the opposition said Thursday.

The arrest of Vasil Verameichyk, 34, is the latest in an unrelenting crackdown by Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko on dissent both at home and abroad since 2020, when his disputed re-election sparked unprecedented mass protests.

Verameichyk was detained in Vietnam on the request of Belarusian authorities, according to Belarus' main security agency, the KGB.

He is facing terrorism charges, authorities said, over his involvement in the Kalinouski Regiment, a formation of Belarusian volunteers fighting in the Ukraine war alongside Kyiv's forces. In Belarus, the Kalinouski Regiment has been designated as a terrorist organization.

A number of terrorism-related criminal charges in Belarus are punishable by lengthy prison terms — up to life in prison — or even death penalty.

Verameichyk is the first member of the regiment in custody in Belarus. Belarusian state TV on Wednesday night showed footage of Verameichyk in handcuffs being escorted off a plane in Minsk, the Belarusian capital.

''Individuals who have taken the path of terrorism and extremism, those who are haunted by the existence of a peaceful and calm Belarus, must live with the thought that Belarusian justice will catch up with them anywhere in the world,'' KGB spokesman Konstantin Bychek was quoted as saying by the country's state television.

More than 500,000 Belarusians have left the country of 9.5 million since 2020, when Lukashenko responded to protests with mass arrests and violence.

In the last year, Lukashenko's administration has ramped up pressure on Belarusians critical of the government who live abroad, launching criminal cases against them and issuing extradition requests.

Belarus also has been targeting those who opposed Russia's war in Ukraine. Moscow used its neighbor and ally's territory as a springboard to send its troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and has maintained its military bases and weapons there, although Belarusian troops have not taken part in the war.

Last year, it also sent tactical nuclear weapons to be stationed in Belarus, although there are no details about how many. The Belarusian authorities have detained more than 1,500 people over their anti-war stance and solidarity with Ukraine since the war began, rights advocates say.

Verameichyk is a member of the opposition's Coordination Council. In 2020, he took part in the anti-government protests and a year later fled to Ukraine to avoid prosecution. There he joined the Kalinouski Regiment when Russian invaded, and fought alongside Ukraine's forces until April 2022, when he was wounded and quit the formation.

He moved to Vietnam after Lithuania refused to grant him residency because he once served in the Belarusian army, according to the opposition.

The Coordination Council said in a statement Thursday that Verameichyk was detained in the city of Ho Chi Minh last week, on Nov. 13 and transported to Minsk the next day. Belarusian authorities also raided the homes of Verameichyk's relatives.

Belarus' opposition leader in exile Sviatlana Tsikhnaouskaya in comments to The Associated Press called the situation with Verameichyk ''both alarming and unbearable.''

''Vasil faces more than 20 years in prison or the death penalty under Lukashenko's regime,'' she said and urged countries ''to stop extraditions to Belarus'' and help exiled Belarusians.