Aleh Kajdov

Aleh Kajdov – a resident of a military settlement Borovucha in Polotsk (Vitebsk District). He has never participated in any political movement and neither was member of a political party. He studied at the State University of Polotsk.

In the late 90’s Aleh Kajdov along with two other residents of Polotsk, Siarhei Laviejkin and Anatol Blizniecov, removed several flags from the state buildings in protest against the ban on using white-red-white national flag. Aleh himself called these acts “acts of desperation”.

Initially, all three were detained, but they were soon released. However, on 10 April 1999 year, all three men were arrested and beaten. Criminal case has been initiated. Kajdov, Laviejkin and Blizniecov were accused of  removing on 9 April 1998 red and green state flags from buildings of Polotsk’s District and Municipal Committees.

They were accused of deliberate vandalism and they admitted that they  removed the flags, explaining that they did so in protest and following their sense of justice. They avowed that  white-red-white flag is a real symbol of Belarus.

The criminal case was examined by the military court of Vitebsk in July 1999. Aleh Kajdov was sentenced under the article 186, part 2 (desecrating state symbols), and fined in the amount of 200 million rubles – which at that time was the equivalent of about $450.

Cases, concerning this person:

Other political prisoners

  • Vasil Starovoytov
  • Sviatoslav Baranovich
  • Zmicer Novik
  • Aliaksandr Vasiljeu
  • Viktor Ivashkievich