Released from prison former candidate for the presidency of Belarus Statkevich refused to leave the country
Belarusian opposition politician and former presidential candidate Mykola Statkevich, released from prison, refused to leave the country. He became the only one of the 52 pardoned political prisoners who did not cross the border with Lithuania. This is reported by Reuters.
Svitlana Tykhanouska’s adviser Franak Vyachorka said that the authorities are trying to forcefully take Statkevich out of the country:
“This is a real drama, because he categorically refused to leave Belarus. This shows the brutality of the regime, which did not leave people the right to choose whether to stay or leave.
Opposition forces in exile emphasize that those released have the right to remain in Belarus and not become victims of forced deportation.
Svitlana Tykhanovskaya called Statkevich “ a real hero of our people” and wished him strength and safety. According to Lithuanian border guards, the man, identified as Statkevich, was for some time on the wall between two border posts, but later returned to Belarusian territory.
Recall that Mykola Statkevich, who ran for president in the 2010 elections, was detained in May 2020. In 2021, he was sentenced to 14 years in a prison under a strict regime for “organizing mass riots”.
As the human rights center “Vyasna” reported, in 2022 the politician was ill with pneumonia, was repeatedly in solitary confinement – at least five times, and was also deprived of the right to visits and transfers for a long time.
