Siarhei Ramanau was born on 7 June 1994. He is interested in hiking and extreme tourism. Also he is a talented painter and tattoo artist. Even in prison setting he finds the possibility to express his ideas in painting and drawing.

Siarhei previously spent 5 years in prison for carrying explosives, upon release, a case of violating the probation requirements.

Political views

Siarhei got excited about anarchism in his teens, because of his humanity, his sense of justice and his insight into the dignity.
He joined the movement in Homel and was a participant of small anarchist groups. He was propagating ‘militant anarchism’ – an approach which criticized lifestyle activism and subcultural looks that is repellent to the masses and promoted an image of a well-read, strong and charismatic activists who are good at both agitating and fighting cops and neo-Nazis if necessary.

He was critical of the legal movement and decided to participate directly in the Belarusian Uprising 2020.

Detention and conviction

Siarhei was detained while crossing the border of Belarus on the night of October 28-29, 2020.
Ramanau was heavily beaten by the border guard to give testimonies. He sliced his hands with a razor to stop the torture.

He together with Dzmitry Dubouski, Ihar Alinevich and Dzmitry Rezanovich, was charged under a number of articles for setting fire to government officials’ vehicles, the building of the traffic police and the state committee of expertise in the Homieĺ region.

On 22 December in Minsk Regional Court judge Tulayko Vyacheslav sentenced Siarhei Ramanau to 20 years imprisonment in a maximum-security penal colony (19 years + 1 year for malicious disobedience to the demands of administration of the correctional institution).

On 23 March 2023, the court of Volkovysk was opened a criminal case under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the demands of the colony administration) against the anarchist. Siarhei was added 11 months to 20 years of imprisonment. After the appeal, the sentence was upheld.

On 25 September 2024 in Horetski District Court the anarchist was sentenced under part 2 of article 411 of the Criminal Code. Judge Natallia Fomicheva imposed another 2 years of imprisonment.

Detention conditions

Siarhei is on the list of “terrorists” and cannot receive commissary money from people other than immediate family.

On January 9, 2022, Sergei was transferred to Detention Facility No. 6, the administration of which often places a political prisoner in a punishment cell.

On May 23, 2022, the political prisoner was transferred to Volkovysk Penal colony No. 11. In August, it became known that the administration of the Volkovysk colony placed the activist in a cell-type room for a month. Previously, he was placed in a punishment cell several times, deprived of security transmission and calls. In December, Siarhei was again placed in a punishment cell for a week, and then placed in a cell-type premises for four months.

In March 2023 Siarhei was transferred to pre-trial detention center No. 6 in Baranovichy, under Article 411 of the Criminal Code (malicious disobedience to the demands of the administration of the penitentiary).

At the beginning of July 2023 Siarhei was transferred to Horetska colony No. 9. He was kept in the PKT (isolation cell in prison) for 5 months. His correspondence was blocked.

In September 2024, the anarchist was again accused under Article 411 of the Criminal Code for allegedly malicious disobedience of the colony administration, and added another 2 years in prison to his main prison term.

Relatives

Siarhei’s parents are waiting for him at home, they are already retired.
He also has close friends in Belarus and some other European countries who are following his story, trying to keep in touch through letters and parents.

In his letter, Siarhei wrote:

I remain true to my ideals. I remain true to my civic position, which I carry with me. It's the reason for all the persecution, all the criminal cases, the violations, the preventive registry-all the negative history that is developing because of the action of the state.

Open letter in support of Belarus anarchist revolutionaries

Statement by the human rights community in Belarus

Cats, crows and planet Earth: drawings by Belarusian political prisoners

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