Belarusian Political Prisoner Statkevich, Former Presidential Candidate, Returned to Jail

Belarusian political prisoner Nikolai Statkevich, who was released among 52 people on September 11 and who refused to leave Belarus, was transferred back to prison. This event was reported by “Nasha Niva” with reference to a verified source. Later, this information was officially confirmed.

According to the media, the political prisoner was placed in a colony in Hlybokaye, where Statkevich had previously been held. Other details are not reported.

On September 11, 69-year-old Statkevich kicked out the door of a bus and got out in the neutral zone between Belarus and Lithuania. The media published images from surveillance cameras of a man resembling Statkevich sitting in the area between the checkpoints on the borders of Lithuania and Belarus.

It was reported that the Belarusian opposition and Statkevich’s wife were unaware of his whereabouts after he refused to cross the border on his own initiative.

Statkevich was a candidate for president of Belarus in 2010. After participating in the protests on December 19, 2010, Statkevich was arrested by the Lukashenko regime and sentenced to 6 years in a maximum security colony. He was released in 2015.

Statkevich again participated in political campaigns and protests against the dictatorship in Belarus. The Lukashenko regime arrested Statkevich again in May 2020, just before the mass protests against electoral fraud began.

Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in a maximum security colony on charges of organizing mass riots.

On September 11, the Lukashenko regime released 52 political prisoners who had crossed the Belarusian border and are now in Lithuania. The list of those released included an employee of the EU Delegation to Minsk.