The Son Of One Of The Leaders Of The Strike Committee Of Belaruskali Is In Coma In The Czech Republic

• 2.05.2026, 10:54

After being denied political asylum and threatened with deportation.

23-year-old Belarusian Yakov has been in a coma in one of the Czech hospitals since mid-April after a suicide attempt, reports "Radio Svaboda". His father is Dmitry Kudelevich, one of the former leaders of the strike committee of Belaruskali, who now lives in Poland.

At first he did not voice what happened to his son, but then decided to make this tragedy public. According to his father, in addition to personal problems (breaking up with his girlfriend), the young man was affected by the Czech Interior Ministry's denial of international protection and the fear of deportation to Belarus.

Jakov was forced to leave the country at the age of 17 after the 2020 protests. For three years he studied at the university in Ostrava, majoring in biotechnology, then realized that this specialty was not for him and dropped out. After that there were various jobs and attempts to continue his education in Prague. Faced with legalization problems, Yakov applied for international protection, as both he and his father participated in the protests in Belarus and were forced to leave. The Czech Ministry of Interior refused him.

Dzmitry said that in early April his son stopped contacting him. He started looking for him through his acquaintances. Yakov was found unconscious on the floor in his room at a reception center for migrants seeking international protection. According to doctors, he had taken a number of medical drugs and had been unconscious for about a day. The young man was rushed to hospital. Now he is still in a coma and is connected to a ventilator.

The father fears that because of his son's uncertain legal status, his insurance may run out and the family will have to pay for treatment themselves.

Radiye Svaboda contacted a lawyer who is providing legal assistance to the family. The lawyer is filing a lawsuit to challenge the Czech Interior Ministry's decision not to grant international protection. The lawyer, who asked not to be named, shared his view of the situation:

"The return to Belarus was more terrible for Yakov than death. The pressure from the Belarusian authorities was connected with the desire to influence his father, who fled from Belarus because of political persecution."

As for the possible deportation, according to the lawyer, it is impossible while Yakov is in a coma.