Viasna Human Rights Centre
Belarus · Viasna
01Overview
Quick Facts
CountryBelarus
Age / Sex42 · male
Occupation—
Arrested inGrodno, Grodno region
Held at—
CategorySocial media
StatusConvicted
Sentence5 years
Belarus · context
1,277documented cases
393 urgent · 116 report torture
Most common grounds
Journalism
101
Legal Profession
11
Medical
2
Culture
1
Reports of Torture or Ill-treatment.
Subjected to physical abuse or severe ill-treatment in detention. Violation of international law.
Case Summary
Stiapan Zadoika was a worker from Grodno detained for his online activities. He was accused of writing over 1,200 comments on YouTube, primarily in Belarusian, supporting Ukraine. He was sentenced to 5.5 years in a high-security penal colony. Reports indicate he was physically assaulted by security forces during his detention.
Key Facts
01 entries- 01[politzek] Степан работает рабочим на одном из частных предприятий Гродно.
Native-Language SummaryBE • Original
Сцяпан Задойка — рабочы з Гродна, які быў затрыманы за сваю дзейнасць у інтэрнэце. Яго абвінавацілі ў напісанні больш за 1200 каментароў на YouTube, пераважна на беларускай мове, у падтрымку Украіны. Ён быў асуджаны да 5,5 гадоў калоніі ў умовах узмоцненага рэжыму. Паводле паведамленняў, падчас затрымання на яго накідаліся супрацоўнікі САХР.
02Charges
Charges
04 count- 01Mockery of state symbols
- 02Insulting a representative of authority
- 03Insulting the President of the Republic of Belarus
- 04Violence or threat of violence against an official
Criminal Code Articles
04 articleArt. BY-370Art. BY-369Art. BY-368Art. BY-366
03Analysis
Predicting Vector
Surveillance vector
Surveillance vectorSocial Media Monitoring
Technology usedYouTube
04Timeline
Case Timeline
Arrest date
April 18, 2023
Sentence served
3y 2mo / 5 years
05Sources
Data Source
Source vs. PPW analysis
ViasnaCase facts, charges, dates, and status.
PPW analysisRisk, surveillance & sentence estimates — probabilistic, not the source's reporting.
View all data sources →§ Updates
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Cite this case
Political Prisoner Watch. (2026). Case file: Stiapan Zadoika (PPW case cmmjnb5j). Retrieved July 6, 2026, from https://politicalprisonerwatch.org/prisoners/cmmjnb5jc00f01vya97nstqe7. Original data from Viasna Human Rights Centre (https://prisoners.spring96.org/en/person/scjapan-zadoika).
Formats reflect this case as an online database record. Always verify the original source before citing in legal filings.