Andrei Aliaksandrau and his partner Iryna Zlobina were detained on January 12, 2021 on suspicion of financing the anti-government protests. They specifically stand accused of paying fines on behalf of those who were detained during the protests, and reimbursing the costs they sustained during their imprisonment in the detention facilities.
The Ministry of Internal affairs started a case under Article 342 Part 2 of the Criminal Code (Organisation and preparation of actions in gross violation of public order). Yet on June 30, 2021 Andrei Aliaksandrau was accused additionally under Article 356 Part 1 of the Criminal Code – treason.
Belarusian human rights organisations have recognised Aliaksandrau and Zlobina as political prisoners.
On September 1, 2022 Andrei Aliaksandrau and Iryna Zlobina got married at SIZO-1 (pre-trial detention center). And on October 6, 2022 at Minsk regional court a sentence was given on "the BelaPAN case" [BelaPAN is the largest and the oldest independent information agency in Belarus. It was recognized as an extremist formation under the KGB (the Committee for State Security) decision in November, 2021], in which Aliaksandrau and Zlobina were involved. Andrei Aliaksandrau was condemned to 14 years of reinforced regime colony, Iryna Zlobina – to 9 years of general regime colony. The legal proceedings were closed.
Besides, Aliaksandrau was accused of income tax evasion from February, 2015 to April, 2021. The political prisoner must pay a fine at the amount of 32,000 BYN (about 12,700 USD).
Andrei Aliaksandrau and Iryna Zlobina also were accused of training persons to participate in group actions that grossly violate the public order – just so the investigation estimated the payments of fines and lawyers' services to those Belarusians who were detained in the course of actions in 2020. Aiding the By_help foundation and its representatives was considered by Belarusian authorities as an activity aimed on inflicting harm on national security and qualified as high treason.
On January 20, 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs added Aliaksandrau and Zlobina to the list of persons involved in extremist activities.