What happens to famous athletes who defend themselves from being beaten by security forces? Whose side will the law be on? Unfortunately, in Belarus the law is not on the side of the victim.
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This is what happened with Alexei Kudin, a famous MMA fighter and multiple world champion in Muay Thai and Kickboxing.
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After the elections in August 2020, Alexei went along with other residents to the central square in his hometown of Molodechno in protest against the results of the presidential elections.
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When police officers began to use force and teargas, Alexei tried to defend himself. Now he has been sentenced to 2.5 years in a general regime penal colony for resisting a police officer.
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Veronica Tsepkalo talked with Alexei's wife, Tatiana, who is now left on her own with 5 children. Tatiana speaks about the events that unfolded during those days, about the arrest and flight of Alexei, and his extradition back to his homeland despite the support of the European Court of Human Rights.
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“There is even a photo of Alexei with his hand outstretched outstretched saying, ‘Wait, we can sort this out. Are you really going to beat me?’ And they did beat him. They dealt the first blow. First they sprayed him with teargas, and when he began to defend himself and dodge their blows, they hit him on the head.
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Tatiana tells us how she supports her husband, how she handles everyday life with 5 children. She offers words of support to every daughter, wife, sister and girlfriend of all political prisoners who are illegally detained in Belarusian prisons.