"Put on the meter even in prison." Ihar Karnei shared how the story with bailiffs and fines ended
Journalist and former political prisoner Ihar Karnei, who was forcibly expelled from the country back in June 2025, shared on Facebook his quest with the Belarusian fine system, which he called state racketeering.
"An outfit for 250 rubles)," — Ihar Karnei captioned the photo
A soldier sleeps, the service continues. Who among former servicemen hasn't repeated like a parrot this motivational axiom that inevitably brings one closer to demobilization? But it seems that unwritten rules are followed not only in military circles but also in judicial proceedings.
Once a case is opened, it permanently "re-activates" itself.
No sooner had I relaxed after the impudent expulsion than, in my lost homeland, the forced enforcement department began attacking me in absentia. Naturally, due to force majeure circumstances, the papers with threats to "subject to forced appearance" (subpoena) reached my eyes not when the sender wished, but when kind people had the opportunity to empty the mailbox. What is characteristic is that the summonses provided no explanation for what I had supposedly owed, having not engaged in any activity in recent years. Simply X-Files, secret materials.
Attempts to contact Kozlovskaya, the responsible employee of the department, via Viber, as suggested in the paper, remained fruitless for a long time.
No matter how you look at it, the last thing I wanted was to be a victim of state racketeering. The money isn't huge, a little over 250 rubles in the latest version, but it's the fact itself! Because theoretically, they can milk you indefinitely.
Recently, the bailiff finally responded, advising me to look for details in the relevant register of defaulters on the Ministry of Justice website. Another ambush, because the resource is inaccessible from abroad, and I had to install a VPN — I never thought I'd have to sink below the waterline just to specifically boost the visit statistics for a repressive institution.
However, I found nothing clear in the debtors' register — only a statement of fact about the initiation of another proceeding under a cumbersome, depersonalized numbering. Everything is like in a concentration camp, numbers on the heart.
But it was a surprise that they put me on the meter (started charging interest/fines) while I was still actively serving my time! What prevented them from immediately notifying my relatives so they could promptly pay the issued bills? Or was the initial goal precisely this — to incur penalties? Those who are experienced and have already been fleeced say that 10% is added to the amount every year.
I think not one hundred forced colleagues, who had no alternative but to exchange a cell or a squad in Belarus for shelters abroad, are awaiting similar surprises.
No. 1. Enforcement Department of Frunzensky District, Minsk. On 20.06.2024, proceeding 70924032444 was initiated.
On June 18, 2024, I was transferred in stages from Prison No. 4 in Mahilioŭ, where I had awaited an appeal on my sentence for two months, to serve my punishment in Penal Colony No. 17 in Škloŭ. It turns out that literally on the second day of quarantine, some mysterious proceeding was initiated, so mysterious that it had to be hidden behind a set of numbers. At least I received no signed notifications.
No. 2. Enforcement Department of Frunzensky District, Minsk. On 02.10.2024, proceeding 70924051504 was initiated.
Still the same Škloŭ torture chamber, fourth month in solitary confinement in punishment cells/chamber-type premises. During that period, there was practically a complete information and documentary blockade, as all connections with the outside world, including even staff messengers, were completely severed. Precisely during these days, a second criminal case was initiated under Art. 411 for "disobedience".
No. 3. Enforcement Department of Frunzensky District, Minsk. On 25.06.2025, proceeding 70925031855 was initiated.
A few days after being expelled from the homeland with a bag over my head on June 21, 2025. Before that, having received an additional 10 months to my term and thus becoming a recidivist, I managed to be a "colonist" on a strict regime in Mazyr. It was there, after joining a squad following a preventive month in a punishment isolation cell ("shiza"), I accidentally stumbled upon my name on the list of "debtors" — 190 rubles for a uniform received in the Škloŭ "atelier". I'm not sure, but perhaps this sum, including the 10% annual increments, eventually turned into the final amount charged. See how, everyone has to guess for themselves why they are being dispossessed (dekulakized).
No. 4. Enforcement Department of Frunzensky District, Minsk. On 13.03.2026, proceeding 70926012280 was initiated.
Another paper, slipped under the door of the abandoned Minsk apartment, demanded personal presence at bailiff Kozlovskaya's office on March 18. Before that, the persistent public servant had initiated the fourth X-Files proceeding.
I can congratulate my opponent, she got her way: I paid off. More precisely, my pensioner mother paid from her modest income — this is how relatives are brought into financial circulation when they cannot reach the actual defendants. Not only did she spend money during her son's incarceration, but she must also bear unclear post-factum expenses. Because the commissars won't hesitate — first to seize property, and then, in the name of the revolution, to confiscate it.
Of course, it's unknown how long the racketeers will leave me in peace, because in response to the clearly read Viber message about payment, there was the usual silence. Think what you want…
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