Belarus sentences exiled blogger Anton Matolka to 20 years in prison in absentia
A Belarusian court has sentenced prominent exiled blogger Anton Matolka to 20 years in prison and a fine of approximately €24,820 in absentia. The verdict was issued by the Hrodna Regional Court and announced by the Prosecutor General’s Office on June 3. The decision is not yet final and may be appealed.

Belarus blogger Anton Matolka
The trial began on December 14, 2024, and was presided over by Judge Ihar Sobalieu. Since Matolka has been living in exile since 2020, the case was tried under a special in absentia procedure for fugitives.
Matolka, a media strategist and founder of several Telegram channels — including the widely followed Belaruski Hajun, a now-banned monitoring project that tracked military activity — was charged under 13 articles of the Belarusian Criminal Code. These included attempting an unconstitutional seizure of power, organizing mass unrest, inciting social hatred, insulting and slandering the president, spreading disinformation, and state treason.
In its statement, the Prosecutor General’s Office claimed:
“In May 2020, the accused organized and led a conspiracy to seize state power unconstitutionally… During and after the 2020 presidential election, he orchestrated mass riots and public disorder… called for the overthrow of the government through Telegram channels under his control… spread information discrediting the Republic of Belarus… threatened violence and insulted state officials… and ultimately committed state treason.”
The Belarusian government began targeting Matolka following his coverage of the 2020 presidential election protests, which were brutally suppressed by security forces. He fled the country shortly after the vote, citing threats to his safety and fear of politically motivated prosecution.
In March 2021, Belarus’s Investigative Committee placed him on an interstate wanted list, and the KGB added him to its registry of individuals allegedly involved in terrorist activities a month later. By 2022, the Interior Ministry had officially designated the followers of his Telegram channels “Belaruski Hajun” and “MatolkaPomogi” as extremist formations.
Matolka is a well-known civil society figure in Belarus. In 2016, he was awarded “Media/Journalist of the Year” at the Civil Society Champions Awards hosted by the Assembly of NGOs for his reporting on the non-governmental sector.
Reacting to his placement on the wanted list, Matolka said in 2021:
“I’m ready to be held accountable for all my actions — in a new Belarus.”
