ARCHIVE – Nikolai Statkevich from the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Hramada”. Photo: Uncredited/AP/dpa/Archive image
Keystone
Former presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich has been released from prison in the Eastern European republic of Belarus, according to human rights activists. The opposition politician is at home recovering from the consequences of a stroke and still has some language problems, the human rights center “Vyazna” announced on Telegram, citing Statkevich’s wife Marina Adamovich.
Statkevich is one of the most persistent opponents of the head of state Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus for more than 30 years. He was first charged and imprisoned 20 years ago for his protests against electoral fraud. After his release, he took part in the presidential elections in 2010 and subsequently organized rallies against renewed manipulation. The police crushed the demonstrations – and Statkevich ended up behind bars for another five years.
Even before the 2020 presidential election, Statkevich was arrested again for collecting signatures for Lukashenko’s challenger Svetlana Tikhanovskaya. During the election, ruler Lukashenko was once again declared the winner and the subsequent protests were brutally suppressed. The opposition leaders, including Statkevich, were subsequently sentenced to long prison terms. They were only released in September thanks to a deal between Lukashenko and the White House – and were expelled. Statkevich was also supposed to be deported to Lithuania. Because he refused to leave the country, he was imprisoned again.