Maxim Znak

lawyer, writer, and former political prisoner

Maxim Znak (* 1981) is a Belarusian lawyer, writer, and former political prisoner. He studied law at the Belarusian State University, where he later became a professor. As a lawyer, he represented opposition presidential candidates Viktar Babaryka and Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and was a member of the committee of the opposition platform. In September 2020 he was arrested and sentenced to ten years in prison, of which he served more than five. During his time in prison he wrote eighteen books, although only one of them ever saw the light of day: The Zekameron (2023), a collection of short stories depicting everyday life behind bars. He sent the first seven stories to his family as part of their correspondence. The remaining texts were smuggled out by fellow inmates who were on their way to court or were being released on house arrest. The Zekameron has been published in several languages, and its English translation won the 2023 English PEN Award. After his release in 2025, Maxim Znak was expelled from Belarus.