During the last week the political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, who is serving a sentence in the Sklou penal colony №17, was issued 8 warnings and got several sanctions. According to Mikalai Statkevich’s wife, he was deprived of the right to the short-term visit, planned in April, and also the food parcel. In addition, Statkevich was placed in a punishment cell, and on the 3rd of April he was transferred to cell-type unit for two months.

“Perhaps, the new case against Mikalai is being prepared” – admits Maryna Adamovich, wife of the political prisoner.

Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Valiantsin Stefanovich commented on the situation:

– Naturally, we consider this unacceptable- as this is clearly the pressure associated with the political nature of the sentence of Mikalai Statkevich, and we remind everyone, that not only Belarusian human rights defenders, but also international human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, insist on the immediate and unconditional release of Statkevich from prison.

Lukashenko: Statkevich wants to be a prisoner

At the same time, President Aliaksandr Lukashenko said that the political prisoner Statkevich himself wants to remain in prison. While responding to a reporter’s question, if it was necessary for the five candidates for the presidency after the 2010 elections to be put in prison, and for one to still remain there, Lukashenko said: “It is absolutely not necessary. It is even harmful, especially for me. But they went [to prison], not because they were presidential candidates. You will agree that they were not competitors for me? .. But they broke the law, grossly violated the law. This was the question of the destabilization of the situation in the country. “

“Four of them did not want to be in prison. They are not in prison. One of them, who is there now, he wants to be a prisoner, and he believes that “here I am a prisoner, it will make me a hero in Belarus.” Well, it is not forbidden to think, so you want – so be it, “- said the head of state.

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Mikalai Statkevich is the only presidential candidate of the 2010 election, which is still in prison. In May 2011 he was sentenced to six years of imprisonment on charges of organizing mass riot on the day of the presidential election. Initially serving his sentence in Shklou colony No.17, but in January 2012 the regime of penalty was toughened and the political prisoner was transferred to the Mahiliou prison No 4. for three years. After the end of this term, on 12 January 2015, he was returned to the Shklou colony, where two violation reports were drawn up against him during his two first days of stay there. Under the pretext of these violations he was also prohibited to have a long-term meeting with his relatives.

Mikalai Statkevich has been repeatedly offered to write a clemensy petition in the name of Aliaksandr Lukashenka, but 58-year-old politician has blankly refused to do so. Belarusian opposition is planning to nominate him as a presidential candidate in the elections this year.

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