Wives do not know whether Lukashenka plans to release Sannikaw, Bandarenka
- 5.04.2012, 18:08
The wives of Adnrey Sannikaw and Dzmitry Bandarenka, imprisoned in connection with the December 19, 2010 post-election protest in Minsk on what are widely believed to be politically motivated charges, said on Thursday that they did not know whether Alyaksandr Lukashenka planned to release the two opposition politicians.
Earlier in the day, the Belarusian leader said that he would consider some imprisoned opposition politicians’ appeals for a presidential pardon “in the near future.” “No one will reproach me for failing to make good on my obligations or promises. We will make decisions on certain people who have finally realized the harmfulness of their position and policy toward their own state,” he said, speaking at a government conference that focused on foreign-policy matters.
Mr. Sannikaw’s wife, Iryna Khalip, told BelaPAN that she did not have any new information about the progress of her husband’s application.
As for Mr. Lukashenka’s promise, Ms. Khalip said that it did not make sense to try to predict “this man’s actions.” “You can look back at all forecasts that political experts and journalists made regarding him. They never came true. We can only wait. Speculating on whom he will release and when is a thankless occupation.”
Volha Bandarenka also said that she did not want to speculate on whether Mr. Lukashenka had referred to her husband or somebody else. “I want only facts. Why do I need to guess something when the result does not depend on me?”
Mr. Sannikaw, 58, was sentenced to five years in prison on May 14, 2011. According to his wife on November 20, 2011, following weeks of torture and threats, her husband wrote the appeal to Mr. Lukashenka for a presidential pardon. Authorities claim that he did so on December 23.
Mr. Bandarenka, who was a campaign aide to Mr. Sannikaw in the 2010 presidential race, was sentenced to two years in prison in April 2011.
The 48-year-old man, who has serious back problems, applied for a presidential pardon on February 1.
