A Belarusian Was 'Learning A Rhythm' With Protest Drummers. Now He's In Prison For Six Years.
In 2020, 31-year-old Alyaksey Sanchuk joined a group of street drummers, part of a wave of mass protests over the presidential election in Belarus that was widely seen as rigged. He was arrested, charged with financing and organizing illegal protests, and sentenced to six years in prison. Sanchuk's wife says other demonstrators, some of whom have since fled Belarus, believe he was tortured in detention.