Prisoner’s Godparenthood: Marieluise Beck adopts Andrei Sannikov

Marieluise Beck, Spokeswoman for Eastern Europe of the German Green parliamentary group takes over a prisoner’s godparenthood for Andrei Sannikov.

The member of German Bundestag stated: „ My thoughts are with Andrei Sannikov. It touches me deeply to see this brave democrat being a victim of an arbitrary judical system. It's utter mockery, that on 25th January 2007 Alexander Lukashenka could make the western press believe, he is striving for Belarus to become similiar to Sweden Germany. Not only the western states, who believed the promise of a political spring in Minsk, but also Russia, which is in an union state with Belarus, is bearing responsibility for the people, who are now facing despotism.“

The Prisoner’s Godparenthood campaign for the political prisoners in Belarus was initiated by human rights organisation Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights to support the prisoners and their relative. As a godparent Marieluise Beck, a member of the committee for foreign affairs of German Bundestag, the German-belarusian parliamentary group and the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, will speak out for the release of „her prisoner“, Andrei Sannikov.

The former deputy minister of foreign affairs and 2010 presidential candidate has been imprisoned since 19th December 2010, the eving of election day, in KGB detention center in Minsk. In the framework of the violental dispersal of peaceful protests against the forged presidential election Sannikov was brutally beaten up. Reportedly by Amnesty International he was tortured after being detained.

The belarusian authorities accused Sannikov of allededly organising mass riot, what could be sentenced with up to 15 years in prison. Belarusian and international human rights organisations recognize Andrei Sannikov as a prisoner of conscience, imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights of freedom of expression and assembly, and are calling for his immediate and unconditional release.