Artists urge Serbia not to extradite to Belarus a critic of its authoritarian regime

More than 70 European artists and film directors have signed an open letter urging Serbia not to extradite to Belarus a filmmaker and a prominent critic of the authoritarian government in Minsk, who is wanted in his home country for alleged tax evasion. The letter, released on Monday, said that Andrei Hniot could face “imprisonment, torture and even death penalty” in Belarus. Serbian authorities arrested Hniot last year on Oct. 30 at Belgrade airport based on an Interpol warrant issued at the request of the Belarusian authorities and a court ruled to extradite the film director to Belarus. Hniot has unsuccessfully contested the court ruling, and his final appeal is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, the letter in his support said.