Mikhalevich: Sannikov suffered in prison like no other

• 26.10.2012, 17:08

Ales Mikhalevich, a former presidential candidate, understands Andrei Sannikov's step.

“This is a personal decision which support it anyway. Sannikov faced in prison what only few political prisoners faced. I fully understand his decision,” Ales Mikhalevich told Radio Svaboda.

Ales Mikhalevich has been living in the Czech Republic for 18 months:

“Of course, I regret I am not in Belarus. But between being in prison and being abroad I choose being abroad, because opportunities to act are limited in jail.”

Ales Mikhalevich, like Andrei Sannikov, has not reunited with his family he left in Belarus.

Andrei Sannikov applied for political asylum in the UK. The leader of European Belarus civil campaign, former presidential candidate and political prisoner said about the possibility of another arrest. “It was not an easy decision for me. But believe me I did not have any other choice. Either to go under tortures and humiliation in prison again, or to sit there silently meek and mild. I have been and remain a Belarusian politician. I will keep communicating the truth about my country and seek for concrete measures to be taken to help democratic Belarus. I believe that my decision will help release my wife and son, who are hostages of the Lukashenka regime,” Andrei Sannikov said in an interview with charter97.org.