Maksim Matyrka

Maksim Matyrka (born June 9, 1977) is a Russian citizen who resided in Belarus for 16 years and is currently a recognized political prisoner. He was detained on April 1, 2022, facing charges related to the 2020 Minsk protests and the intentional damage of property, specifically involving a car fire.

His legal trajectory involved multiple sentences. Initially sentenced to eight years by Judge Alena Zhyvitsa, a subsequent verdict on June 22, 2022, by Judge Tatsiana Shotsik regarding public order violations resulted in a combined sentence of 9 years in a high-security penal colony. In October 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added him to the official "list of extremists".

While incarcerated, Matyrka has faced further persecution. In May 2023, he was convicted under Article 411 for "malicious disobedience" to prison administration. In September 2024, the Horki District Court reviewed a potential transfer to a stricter prison regime. He is currently held in Penal Colony No. 9 in Horki.