The man had been fighting in Ukraine on Kyiv’s side. He was detained in Vietnam and sent to Minsk earlier this month.
"Veremeichik is in a very dangerous situation since Lukashenko’s regime considers fighting for the freedom of Ukraine and all Europe a terrorist act. But this is not true, because the whole world knows the courage of Ukraine, and knows that people who fight for Ukraine must be protected. Our action aims at drawing attention to the dishonest actions of the Lukashenko regime," Tatyana, one of the protesters, told reporters on site.
Organisers chose this particular venue for the rally due to the fact that the EU institution declares its support for civic initiatives and civilian gatherings aimed at raising awareness of various issues, the woman said.
Tatyana underlined that Veremeichik faces up to 20 years in jail, life imprisonment or even can be sentenced to death if charged with terrorism under the laws of the Lukashenko regime.
"We hope that this case will show that we, Belarusians, need the support of the international community, just like the Ukrainians. Just as in Ukraine, Russia is trying to take over Belarus, but in other ways, such as propaganda," she said.
Belarusian state television reported Wednesday that the Belarusian national who fought as a volunteer in Ukraine on Kyiv’s side has been extradited back to Minsk, according to AFP.
Belarusian opposition media said the man, Vasily Veremeichik, was extradited from Vietnam to Belarus, a close ally of Russia, on 14 November, a day after his detention, AFP said.
Nasha Niva reported that Veremeichik had moved to Vietnam after trying to settle in Lithuania, which barred him from entry due to his previous service in the Belarusian army.
Acting Interior Minister Agnė Bilotaitė said on Thursday that Lithuania had not granted a residence permit to Veremeichik due to security reasons.
The VSD told ELTA the Belarusian man’s presence in Lithuania "would pose a threat to national security."
"It is also possible that attempts to escalate the story from the outside could be another information operation against Lithuania," the intelligence agency said in a comment sent to ELTA.