Journalist Mikhail Karnevich left Belarus due to political persecution for his professional activities. In exile, he is undergoing treatment for cancer and needs support to get through the period of therapy without being left without housing or means of subsistence.
“I am from Hrodna and have worked in journalism for almost my entire life,” the journalist says. “After university, I worked as a correspondent for the newspapers Pahonia and Birzha informatsii and became one of the co-founders of the latter.”
When the outlets were shut down for political reasons, he continued working as a correspondent for Radio Svaboda in the Hrodna region and, from 2018, collaborated with the newspaper Narodnaya Volya.
Pressure from the authorities began long before 2020, and administrative arrests for an independent journalist had effectively become part of the job.
During the 2020 elections, Mikhail covered events in Hrodna and prepared materials for independent editorial offices. In January 2022, the Narodnaya Volya editorial team sent him to prepare a report on a migrant camp on the Belarusian–Polish border near the Bruzgi border crossing. This required permission from the Hrodna Regional Executive Committee. Mikhail called the ideology department several times but never received a clear answer. On 21 January, the day after another call, law enforcers came to his home. A search was conducted in the apartment, all equipment was seized, and Mikhail was taken to the district police department, where an administrative protocol was drawn up.
The law enforcers were interested in his 2018 publications for Radio Svaboda, which by that time had been declared an extremist entity. As a result, he spent three days in a temporary detention centre, received a fine, and had his equipment confiscated.
Surveillance of the journalist continued: law enforcers even visited the new owners of his former summer house in search of materials. “My lawyer told me that I needed to leave Belarus, because with a high probability a criminal case would follow the administrative one.”
Mikhail left the country, and a week after his departure the law enforcers returned again and, not finding him at home, left a summons in the mailbox. The journalist assumes that the security services hacked the seized computer and discovered a large body of journalistic materials that he had written under a pseudonym.
Since March 2022, Mikhail has been living in Poland, but the term of his temporary stay status is coming to an end. Due to the lack of stable work, he is forced to apply for international protection. His main income comes from rare freelance assignments, which are only enough to cover basic expenses.
In 2025, Mikhail’s health condition deteriorated sharply. Examinations revealed an oncological disease. The Belarusian journalist underwent surgery and several sessions of radiotherapy. Treatment is ongoing; medications have been prescribed and further monitoring at an oncology centre has been scheduled.
“I am being treated under insurance, but it does not cover everyday living expenses during therapy,” Mikhail says. “I am here alone, without family or loved ones, I cannot work at full capacity, and from the moment I apply for international protection I will not be able to work legally at all.”
The support Mikhail needs is required to pay for housing, purchase medicines and vitamins, rehabilitation after treatment, and basic food expenses. “Your help will allow me to complete treatment without ending up on the street, recover, and later try to return to work.”
Fundraising goal
€3000
€1400 – three months of basic housing during therapy
€500 – food and living expenses
€700 – medications not covered by insurance
€400 – rehabilitation and recovery