On 18 May 2026 Belarus’s Investigative Committee placed Sergey Mikhalok, founder of Lyapis Trubetskoy, on the list of people facing special proceedings. He is accused under Art. 130(1) (inciting social hatred or discord) and Art. 368(1) (public insult of the president). The first carries a penalty from a fine to five years in prison; the second up to four years. Special proceedings mean that once the investigation ends, an in absentia trial and verdict are likely.

What the Investigative Committee announced

The agency’s website states proceedings began on 18 May 2026. Mikhalok, who has lived abroad for years, is asked to appear voluntarily at the SK office in Minsk (other reports cite the Leninsky district unit) for investigative steps.

Special proceedings are used when a suspect is outside Belarus and does not show up. The case is investigated without them; the court then hears it in their absence and delivers an in absentia judgment — with possible later extradition or arrest on entry, depending on procedure.

Two articles and possible sentences

Article 130(1) (inciting social hatred or discord) — punishment from a fine to five years’ imprisonment. It is widely used against critics over public statements, posts and art.

Article 368(1) (public insult of the president of Belarus) — up to four years. Media reported a case on this charge as early as January 2025, when his photo appeared on “wanted” police billboards.

If convicted on both counts, sentences may be combined, potentially exceeding the maximum for a single article.

Who Sergey Mikhalok is — and why the authorities moved

Mikhalok co-founded the punk band Lyapis Trubetskoy in 1989 and later led projects such as Brutto. Since the late 2010s he has lived mostly outside Belarus (first Ukraine, then Europe) and has openly criticised Alexander Lukashenko’s rule.

In 2020 he said his projects would not perform in Belarus until the regime changed. Authorities had long pressured the band: cancelling concerts and listing songs as extremist. In August 2024, for example, courts declared extremist the clip and lyrics of “Ne byts skotam” (based on Yanka Kupala’s poem “Khto ty hetki?”), along with other Lyapis tracks.

For a generation that grew up on Lyapis, special proceedings are not a dry legal term but a sign that one of Belarus’s best-known rock musicians remains a target even when he is not in the country.

What comes next

Mikhalok is unlikely to travel to Minsk on the SK’s invitation — in absentia proceedings are designed for non-appearance. Investigators will compile materials (posts, performances, videos), then refer the case to court. In absentia verdicts can be appealed in theory, but politically charged trials in Belarus almost always end in conviction.

For the musician, the main risks are not only a paper sentence but convicted status in absentia: border complications, pressure on associates, and tighter enforcement against those who still spread his music inside the country.