Eduard Anatolievič Lobaŭ ( be, Эдуард Анатолевіч Лобаў; 1 December 1988 – 26 January 2023) was a Belarusian activist associated with the Young Front. He was imprisoned by the

government of Belarus The Government of the Republic of Belarus ( be, Урад Рэспублікі Беларусь), which consists of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus (), is the executive branch of state power in Belarus, and is appointed by the ...

for his protest activities. Amnesty International considered him a prisoner of conscience.

Activism

On 19 December 2010, following Belarus's disputed presidential election—in which pro-democracy opposition candidate

Andrei Sannikov Andrei Olegovich Sannikov (or Andrei Sannikau, be, Андрэй Алегавіч Саннікаў, russian: Андрей Олегович Санников, born 8 March 1954) is a Belarusian politician and activist. In the early 1990s, he headed ...

lost to Lukashenko, often called "Europe's last dictator"—a number of opposition protesters took to the streets. In the week leading up to the protest, Lobau took an active role in organization. On 15 December, he was arrested and briefly detained along with two other Young Front activists for picketing Lukoshenko's office in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

with signs calling for his resignation. According to Amnesty International, the day before the protests, Lobau was reportedly assaulted by unknown attackers and immediately arrested by police, along with Zmitser Dashkevich, Young Front's leader. He was convicted of attacking his assailants and sentenced to four years in a

labour colony A labor camp (or labour camp, see spelling differences) or work camp is a detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor as a form of punishment. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons (especi ...

Ivatsevichy Ivacevičy ( be, Івацэ́вічы, russian: Ивацевичи, pl, Iwacewicze, lt, Ivasevičai) is a city in the Brest Province of Belarus, an administrative center of the Ivacevičy district. Sports Belarusian football club FC Ivatsevic ...

. On 31 August 2011, he refused to file a pardon application.

Imprisonment

Lobau's imprisonment has been protested by human rights organizations including Amnesty International, which named he and Dashkevich prisoners of conscience and called for their immediate release. His case was also "adopted" by

German Bundestag German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

member Florian Toncar, deputy chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party, who denounced his trial and imprisonment as "Stalinist". On 18 December 2014, Lobau was released from prison.

War in Ukraine

Since the summer of 2015, Lobau has been fighting as a volunteer in the

war in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

. He served in one of the Ukrainian units near

Mariupol Mariupol (, ; uk, Маріу́поль ; russian: Мариу́поль) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. It is situated on the northern coast ( Pryazovia) of the Sea of Azov, at the mouth of the Kalmius River. Prior to the 2022 Russia ...

Death

On 26 January 2023, Lobau was killed in action near

Vuhledar Vuhledar (, ; , , transcribed Ugledar; both names meaning 'gift of coal', referring to its coal mining industry) is a city of oblast significance in Donetsk Oblast (province) of Ukraine. Its population is In 2001, its population was 17,440. ...

, during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

. He was 34. Lobau was buried at the

Powązki Military Cemetery Powązki Military Cemetery (; pl, Cmentarz Wojskowy na Powązkach) is an old military cemetery located in the Żoliborz district, western part of Warsaw, Poland. The cemetery is often confused with the older Powązki Cemetery, known colloquial ...

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...

Awards

On March 25, 2023, Lobau was posthumously awarded the medal of the Order of the Pahonia by the

Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic The Rada of the Belarusian Democratic Republic ( be, Рада Беларускай Народнай Рэспублікі, Рада БНР, Rada BNR) was the governing body of the Belarusian Democratic Republic. Since 1919, the Rada BNR has bee ...

. President of Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy, ; russian: Владимир Александрович Зеленский, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelenskyy, (born 25 January 1978; also transliterated as Zelensky or Zelenskiy) is a Ukrainian politicia ...

posthumously awarded Eduard Lobov with the Order for Courage of the III degree.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lobau, Eduard 1988 births 2023 deaths People from Vilnius Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus Belarusian democracy activists Belarusian dissidents Belarusian prisoners and detainees Pro-Ukrainian people of the war in Donbas Pro-Ukraine foreign volunteers in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukrainian military personnel killed in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Belarus in the Russian invasion of Ukraine Burials at Powązki Military Cemetery