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Maxim ZnakBelarusian lawyer and attorney, poet
Date of Birth: 04.09.1981
Country:  Belarus |
Content:
- Legal and Academic Career
- Pre-Election Activities
- Political Activities
- Coordination Council
- Political Imprisonment
Legal and Academic Career
Maxim Znak is a Belarusian lawyer, jurist, poet, and singer-songwriter. He earned a law degree with honors from the Belarusian State University in 2004 and completed a postgraduate program. In 2007, he founded the law firm "YurZnak."
In 2009, Znak obtained a Ph.D. in law with a dissertation on "Disposability of Contractual Liability in Civil Law." He also holds an Executive MBA from the Kozminski University in Warsaw, Poland.
Pre-Election Activities
Prior to the 2020 presidential election, Znak worked at the Belarusian State University and was a managing partner at the law firm "Borovtsov and Salei BIS." He authored numerous publications in various business and legal journals, and served as a columnist for "BelGazeta."
Znak was also the director of a center supporting entrepreneurship and a member of the public advisory council of the Minsk City Executive Committee. He participated as an expert in the World Bank's Doing Business research and was a national consultant for the UNDP in a program to support Belarus's accession to the WTO. His wife, Nadezhda Znak, is also a lawyer.
Political Activities
2020 Presidential ElectionIn 2020, Znak worked as a lawyer for Viktar Babaryka's presidential campaign. When many of Babaryka's signatures were invalidated, Znak vowed to fight for each one. The Central Election Commission eventually refused to register Babaryka, and Znak filed an appeal that was rejected by the Supreme Court.
Coordination Council
After the election, the Coordination Council of the opposition was formed. Znak helped process applications with Olga Kovalkova and was later included in the council's main body. He was elected to the Presidium of the council on August 19.
Znak accompanied Sviatlana Alexievich when she was summoned for questioning by the Investigative Committee on August 26. Alexievich refused to testify and was released.
On August 31, Znak announced that the Belarusian opposition sought a positive dialogue with the authorities, including discussing constitutional reform.
Political Imprisonment
Znak was detained on September 9, 2020, and charged with plotting to seize power. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison on March 24, 2023. Znak's detention and imprisonment have been widely condemned by human rights groups, and he is considered a political prisoner.
