No Information About Mikalai Statkevich For More Than 70 Days
- 20.04.2023, 10:49
What is happening to the leader of the Belarusian opposition behind bars?
The editorial office of Charter97.org learned that there is no information about the leader of the Belarusian opposition, political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, for more than 70 days.
In early April it was reported that no letters from Statkevich to his relatives and friends had been received for two months.
Mikalai Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison, he was accused of "organization of mass riots" (article 293 of the Criminal Code of Belarus).
Since early July 2022 - since Statkevich started serving his sentence in the colony in Hlubokaye - he has had 23 penalties. At least 9 times he was placed in the solitary confinement - for 7 to 10 days. The political prisoner spent the New Year in the punishment cell.
It should be noted that a great son of the Belarusian people, Lieutenant Colonel Statkevich has been kept behind bars for over 10 years.
What is Statkevich Known for?
In 1991 Statkevich announced the creation of Belarusian Military Association ("Belaruskaye zgurtanne vayskoutsau"), which aimed "to create a Belarusian army, defend the independence and historical and patriotic education of the society".
In 1999, Mikalai was one of the organisers of the "Freedom March" against the so-called "union state" and the policies of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The "Freedom March" showed to the whole world that there are people in Belarus who prefer the European democratic way of development to the medieval dictatorship and barbarism.
In 2005 Statkevich was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment for organising a peaceful demonstration against the falsified results of the 2004 referendum.
In 2010 Mikalai was one of the presidential candidates in the election. He was arrested after a mass protest against the rigged presidential election on December 19, 2010. Statkevich spent almost five years behind bars and was released only on August 22, 2015. After his release, Statkevich continued his fight against Lukashenka's regime and took an active part in all protests.
On May 31, 2020, Statkevich was detained on his way to a picket, and in December 2021 he was sentenced to 14 years in a high-security colony.
We remind that for his unprecedented courage in resisting the regime Statkevich spent more than 10 years in prison. The politician has been thrice recognized by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. Even while in custody, Statkevich remains a symbol of fortitude for Belarusians.