Death of Raman Bandarenka facts for kids

Raman Bandarenka (Belarusian: Раман Бандарэнка) was born on August 1, 1989, in Minsk, Belarus. He was a designer and shop manager. Raman became known for his activism during the 2020 Belarusian protests. These protests were against the results of the 2020 presidential election in Belarus.

Raman Bandarenka died on November 12, 2020, after an incident where he was reportedly attacked. On the evening of November 11, 2020, masked people in regular clothes reportedly beat him in the yard of his apartment building in Minsk. This area is known as "Square of Changes" (Ploscha Peramen). After the attack, he was taken away in a minibus. An ambulance later took him from a police station to a hospital. He was unconscious at that time.

At the hospital, doctors found he had serious head injuries, bruises, and scrapes. He had surgery to try and save his life but fell into a coma. Raman never woke up and died the next day, on November 12, 2020. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights later spoke about his death.

About Raman Bandarenka

Raman Bandarenka was born in Minsk on August 1, 1989. After finishing school, he studied at the Minsk State College of Architecture and Construction. He then went on to the Belarusian State Academy of Arts, where he graduated with a degree in design in 2012.

In 2014, Raman served in the military. He was part of a special unit of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus. After his military service, he worked as an administrator and later as a director for a retail store called "Ostrov Chistoty" in Minsk.

What happened on November 11, 2020

The yard where Raman lived became famous during the protests. It was called the "Square of Changes." This name came about because residents painted a mural of "DJs of Change" on a wall. These DJs had played a protest song and were arrested. People in the yard often put up red and white ribbons, which were a symbol of the freedom movement in Belarus.

On November 11, 2020, around 10 PM, a group of nine people (six men and three women) arrived at the "Square of Changes." They were wearing masks and regular clothes. They started cutting down the red and white ribbons that the residents had put up. Raman Bandarenka learned about this from a local chat group on the Telegram app. He sent a message saying, "I'm going out!" and then went outside to see what was happening.

Outside, Raman watched the group. Reports say he might have said something to one of the masked people. That person then reportedly pushed Raman to the ground. When he fell, Raman hit his head on a children's slide. The masked people then held Raman down and told him to "Lie down!" One person who started the fight left, but three others continued to hit him.

After the attack, Raman was pulled into a silver minibus. This was the last time anyone saw him conscious. Eyewitnesses filmed these events from different angles and shared the videos online.

Raman was taken to a police station. From there, he was admitted to the Minsk City Clinical Emergency Hospital on November 12, at 12:05 AM. Doctors found he had many injuries. He had an operation to try and save his life. Raman Bandarenka died later that day, on November 12, 2020. As of early 2021, no official criminal case was opened regarding his death.

People suspected and investigations

On November 16, 2020, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia banned the kickboxer Dmitry Shakuta and the head of the Belarusian hockey federation Dzmitry Baskau from traveling to Latvia. This was because they were suspected of being involved in Raman Bandarenka's death. Some athletes had identified them in photos and videos of the masked attackers. Baskau and Shakuta did not comment on these suspicions. Later that month, Estonia also banned Shakuta and Baskau from traveling there. In January 2021, the International Ice Hockey Federation started its own investigation into Dzmitry Baskau's possible involvement.

On August 9, 2021, the USA added Dmitry Shakuta to a special list. This was a punishment for his alleged "violent attack on Bandarenka" and for taking him to the police.

Public and official reactions

Public reaction

On the evening of November 12, thousands of Belarusians gathered at the “Square of Change” to remember Raman Bandarenka. The next day, people in many other cities and villages across Belarus also came out to show their sadness and support.

On November 15, 2020, a protest march called "I'm going out!" took place in Minsk and other cities. This march was in memory of Raman Bandarenka and all others who had been hurt during the protests. In Minsk, the event ended when the police attacked people at the “Square of Change.” Katsyaryna Andreeva and Darya Chultsova, journalists from Belsat TV, showed the event live. They were arrested that day. Later, ten human rights organizations said they were political prisoners. On February 18, 2021, the journalists were sentenced to two years in prison for reporting on the protests.

Raman Bandarenka's funeral was held on November 20, 2020. His family invited everyone, and several thousand people attended the ceremony. Many people chanted slogans like "Long live Belarus!", "We will not forget, we will not forgive!”, “Roma, you are a hero”, and “I'm going out!” – which were Raman's last known words.

Reaction from Alexander Lukashenko

On November 13, Alexander Lukashenko, the leader of Belarus, offered his condolences to Raman Bandarenka's parents. He said he had asked the Investigative Committee of Belarus to look into the incident very carefully. Lukashenko told reporters that a fight had broken out. He claimed that someone from the protesters called the police. He said that when the police arrived, everyone ran away, and Raman was either hurt or had been drinking. He stated that Raman was taken by the police department and felt unwell on the way, so an ambulance was called to take him to the hospital.

Other reactions

Natalya Kochanova, a high-ranking official, said that the protests were becoming more extreme. She stated that Raman Bandarenka went out into the yard himself. She also mentioned that false information was spread online, claiming he was sober. She compared the attention given to Bandarenka to other fights where people die every day without such memorials.

As of November 27, 2020, no criminal case had been opened for Bandarenka's death. However, TUT.BY journalist Katsiaryna Barysevich and doctor Artsyom Sorokin were arrested. They had reported medical information that Raman was completely sober, which went against what Alexander Lukashenko and Natalya Kochanova had said. On November 24, Amnesty International called them prisoners of conscience. Ten organizations also stated that Katsyaryna Barysevich was a political prisoner. Boris Haretski, from the Belarusian Association of Journalists, said that authorities were attacking the media instead of solving the problem. On March 2, 2021, Barysevich was sentenced to six months in prison and a fine. Doctor Artsyom Sorokin received two years in prison and a fine.

Ales Bialiatski, the head of the Viasna Human Rights Centre, blamed the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Belarus) for Raman Bandarenka's death.

On November 13, 2020, the EU spoke out against the violence. Diplomatic groups from Great Britain, Germany, and the EU in Belarus held a minute of silence for Raman. Many international news outlets, including BBC and The Washington Post, reported on his death.

On November 19, 2020, Jim Gilmore, a U.S. Representative, said that Raman Bandarenka's killing showed that Belarusian security forces could act without being punished.

On November 26, 2020, the European Parliament discussed the situation in Belarus. They passed a resolution about the ongoing human rights violations and Raman Bandarenka's death. They called for a quick, thorough, fair, and independent investigation into his death.