Diana Maiseenka, a Belarusian activist, was briefly detained in Armenia at the request of the Belarusian government but was quickly released. In an interview with the Belarusian service of Radio Liberty, Maiseenka revealed that she was informed she cannot leave Armenia and has already applied for political asylum.

The news was first shared on September 2 by Pavel Latushka, Deputy Head of the United Transitional Cabinet of Belarus, who posted about the detention on Twitter.

Diana Maiseenka, who faces up to 4 years in prison in Belarus on a "political" charge, was detained in #Armenia.
I appeal to 🇦🇲 authorities @President_Arm @NikolPashinyan @armgov not to extradite Diana to the vengeful dictator who hates Belarusians & disrespects the 🇦🇲 people. pic.twitter.com/s1Y5RGUDxZ

— Pavel Latushka (@PavelLatushka) September 2, 2024

Maiseenka recounted the events surrounding her detention. She was apprehended on the Armenian-Georgian border on September 2 and taken to a police station in the town of Noyemberyan. 

"They took me to one office, then another—saying they couldn’t disclose information. As I understood, an officer informed me that I was wanted by Belarus. Later, they transferred me to the local police, where a report was filed, and they informed me I would be detained for 72 hours until a court decision. Naturally, I was in shock," Maiseenka explained. However, she was released the same day.

"In theory, they can't extradite me, but I’m worried that Belarusian security forces might come here and kidnap me. That’s why I’ve already applied for political asylum in Armenia," she added.

Maiseenka is facing charges under Article 342 of the Belarusian Criminal Code, which involves organizing or actively participating in actions that grossly violate public order. The criminal case against her is 150 pages long, although Maiseenka claims she is unaware of the specifics. 

"Supposedly, I am also tied to my father's case—it alleges that my father and I conspired and participated in protests together," she said. Maiseenka’s father, Andrei Ivanyushin, is a former political prisoner. She left Belarus in 2023 and had been living in Georgia before her recent detention.

Svetlana Tikhanovskaya’s office issued a statement confirming that they had reached out to the Armenian government and "received assurances that Armenian authorities will not extradite Belarusians who are subject to political persecution in their homeland."

Human rights organizations estimate that there are currently over 1,000 political prisoners in Belarus.

This isn’t the first case of a Belarusian seeking asylum in Armenia. In February 2024, Yaroslav Novikov, another Belarusian citizen, was detained at the Armenian-Georgian border. Novikov was charged in Belarus for evading military service and has also applied for political asylum in Armenia.

Relations between Armenia and Belarus have recently soured.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko criticized Armenia’s cooperation with Western countries, stating, "no one needs them." Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has accused Belarus of assisting Azerbaijan in preparing for the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, despite both nations being members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). 

In June, POLITICO reported on a secret arms deal between Belarus and Azerbaijan.