Viasna Human Rights Centre
Belarus · Viasna
01Overview
Quick Facts
CountryBelarus
Age / Sex58 · male
Arrested inHrodna, Hrodna Region
Held atPrison No. 4 Mahilyow
CategoryBusiness activity
StatusConvicted
Sentence13 years
Belarus · context
1,294documented cases
399 urgent · 116 report torture
Most common grounds
Journalism
101
Legal Profession
11
Medical
2
Culture
1
Content advisory.This case includes reports of torture or ill-treatment. The descriptions may be distressing.
Reports of Torture or Ill-treatment.
Reported to have been subjected to physical abuse or severe ill-treatment in detention, according to available sources. Such treatment, where established, violates international law.
Case Summary
Siarhei Botvich is a citizen of Lithuania and France who conducted business in Belarus. He was accused of espionage and agency activity, allegedly working for foreign intelligence. He has faced severe health issues and solitary confinement during his detention.
May contain extraction or translation errors.
Native-Language SummaryBE • Original
Сяргей Ботвіч — грамадзянін Літвы і Францыі, які займаўся бізнэсам у Беларусі. Яго абвінавачвалі ў шпіянажы і агентурнай дзейнасці, нібыта працы на замежную разведку. За час утрымання ён сутыкнуўся з сур'ёзнымі праблемамі са здароўем і адзіночнай камерай.
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02Charges
Charges
02 count- 01Espionage
- 02Agency activity
Criminal Code Articles
02 articleArt. BY-358Art. BY-358-1
03Legal framework
How to read this section
This is a plain reading of published international standards against the facts recorded on this page. It is not a finding. No court, treaty body or UN special procedure has ruled on this case, and The Detained makes no assessment of guilt, innocence or state responsibility. Each entry below appears because a specific field on this record brings the standard into play, and says which field that was.
Standards engaged
04- 01Liberty and security of personICCPR, Article 9
Nobody may be deprived of liberty except on grounds and by procedures established by law. Anyone detained is entitled to have a court decide the lawfulness of the detention without delay, and to compensation if the detention was unlawful.
On this record: This record documents a deprivation of liberty beginning with the arrest recorded below.
Treaty text - 02Fair hearing before an independent tribunalICCPR, Article 14
A fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law, with adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence, counsel of the person’s own choosing, and the right to examine witnesses.
On this record: This record carries a criminal prosecution under articles BY-358 and BY-358-1.
Treaty text - 03Review by a higher tribunalICCPR, Article 14(5)
Anyone convicted of a crime has the right to have the conviction and sentence reviewed by a higher tribunal according to law. The review has to be genuine, not a formality.
On this record: A conviction is recorded on this file.
Treaty text - 04Freedom from torture and ill-treatmentICCPR and CAT, ICCPR article 7; CAT articles 2, 12, 13 and 15
The prohibition is absolute and no circumstance whatever may be invoked to justify it. Where there are reasonable grounds to believe torture has occurred, the state must carry out a prompt and impartial investigation on its own initiative, and any statement established to have been obtained by torture may not be used as evidence in any proceedings.
On this record: Torture or ill-treatment is reported on this file. The report has not been adjudicated by any court or treaty body.
Treaty text
Where a case like this is filed
- UN Working Group on Arbitrary DetentionRoute open
Individual complaint asking the Working Group to find the detention arbitrary and to name a remedy.
Open for every state. Domestic remedies do not have to be exhausted first, and the person’s consent or that of their family is normally required.
How to submit - UN special proceduresRoute open
An urgent appeal or allegation letter to the Special Rapporteur on torture and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
Mandate holders can write to a government within days, which is why this is the fastest route on the list.
How to submit - UN Human Rights CommitteeRoute closed
Individual communication under the First Optional Protocol, alleging breaches of the Covenant articles listed above.
Belarus notified the Secretary-General of its denunciation on 8 November 2022. The Human Rights Committee continued to examine communications already registered before the effective date, but no new individual communication against Belarus can be lodged.
How to submit - UN Committee against TortureRoute closed
Individual complaint under article 22 of the Convention against Torture.
This state has not made the article 22 declaration, so the Committee cannot receive individual complaints against it.
How to submit
Filing on someone else's behalf can carry real consequences for them and for their family. The people closest to a case should decide whether it is submitted, and a lawyer or an experienced organisation should draft it.
04Analysis
Estimating case basis
AI-assisted analysis — read first
Every model behind the scores on this page was built and trained in-house, on our own case documentation — nothing is delegated to a black box. We work glass-box: each score opens to show the exact factors that moved it (the "Why this score?" panels), and the full training and calibration methodology is public.
Models miss nuance. Scores, predictions, and summaries on this page are produced by statistical and language models from the documents we have collected. They can be incomplete or wrong, and they cannot capture the legal nuance of an individual case — sentencing above all, where outcomes turn on circumstances no model sees.
Not for court. Do not cite these figures directly in court or in legal proceedings. They are research aids, not evidence and not legal advice. Verify every detail against the original sources listed on this page before relying on it.
Not a verdict. Our findings describe patterns in the data we have documented. They are not a determination that any individual case is unjust — that judgment belongs to the people involved, their families, and competent courts and tribunals.
05Timeline
Case Timeline
Arrest date
June 21, 2021
Sentence served
5y 2mo / 13 years
07Sources
Data Source
Source vs. TD analysis
ViasnaCase facts, charges, dates, and status.
TD analysisRisk, surveillance & sentence estimates — probabilistic, not the source's reporting.
View all data sources →Cite this case
The Detained. (2026). Case file: Siarhei Botvich Ivanavich (TD case cmmkyd89, record version 2026-08-20). Retrieved September 18, 2026, from https://thedetained.org/prisoners/cmmkyd89400071vcfeyv2ypj5. Original data from Viasna Human Rights Centre (https://prisoners.spring96.org/en/person/sjarhei-botvicz-ivanavich).
Formats reflect this case as an online database record. Always verify the original source before citing in legal filings.