Chemistry student among hundreds jailed following Belarus’s pro-democracy crackdown
Artsiom Bayarski’s plight mirrors that of hundreds of students and academics in the country
As the Lukashenko regime continues to crack down on pro-democracy sympathisers in Belarus, one of the latest to be imprisoned is 20 year-old Artsiom Bayarski who was studying chemistry at Belarusian State University (BSU). He now faces a five year prison sentence after being found guilty of creating and running an extremist group, and violating public order. Human rights organisations say he merely attended a peaceful demonstration.