My name is Anton Prokopenko, I am 24 years old and I am from Mogilev.
In 2020 I studied at the Mogilev Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The leadership forced us to participate in repressions against peaceful citizens opposing Lukashenko's regime. But I knew I could not be part of this violence. Instead, I helped the democratic movement: I photographed the security forces and passed on information about their movements. It was my personal way of standing up to injustice.
From 2021 to 2022, I worked in the criminal investigation department of the Oktyabrsky District Police Department as an operative commissioner. I was assigned to conduct searches and check cell phones for “extremist materials.” Every time I looked into the eyes of the people I was ordered to “accuse”, I felt that I was betraying my principles. So I wrote in my reports that “nothing was found,” even though I knew that my superiors expected a different result. Over time, my actions became suspicious to my superiors.
When it became clear to me that I might soon find myself under the threat of arrest for insubordination, I made a difficult decision — to leave Belarus. In 2022 I went to Lithuania and applied for international protection.
For two years I waited for a decision, in a state of complete uncertainty. And then, in August 2024, I was informed that I had been denied protection. What's more, I was declared a threat to national security. The reason? My background in the militia. Now they want to deport me back to Belarus, a country where I will almost certainly be arrested or subjected to reprisals for my actions.
I tried to appeal this decision in the Lithuanian courts, but all instances rejected my appeal. One of the few chances I have left is to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). But for this I need funds, which I simply do not have.
I am appealing to you for help. Any amount of money, even the smallest, can be a step towards salvation. I ask you to support me so that I can continue to live in accordance with my principles and not become a victim of the regime I fought against.
How much is needed?
€3000
This is the amount requested by the lawyer willing to take on my case