Why Lukashenka has released political prisoners?

Why the Belarusian dictator releases political prisoners at this precise point of time, 5 years after their arrest?

We remind that yesterday with a reference to Lukashenka’s administration, the governmental news agency, BelTA informed about release of Mikalai Dzyadok, Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Statkevich, Yauhen Vaskovich, Artsyom Prakapenka, Yury Rubtsou have been released from places of detention.

charter97.org asked to comment on this fact the leaders of the civil campaign European Belarus, former political prisoners Andrei Sannikov and Zmitser Bandarenka.

Andrei Sannikov:

- First of all, I would like to congratulate the political prisoners, their families, as it is a great joy, and all of us. I am very glad that Mikola Statkevich, the presidential candidate, has been released. He is a courageous man, he has endured tortures for the sake of freedom in Belarus, our freedom. I am glad all political prisoners have been released, as there had been a risk that Lukashenka would trade in them, one at a time. Undoubtedly, the exercise of good will by the dictator is out of the question in this case. The reason for such a decision is obvious to everyone: it is a catastrophic economic situation of Belarus and Lukashenka’s reckoning that the release would help to receive money from the West, and notably, the money are needed for rescuing his own regime, not for rescuing the economy. Nevertheless, it is a joyful day – the day of liberty and hopes for liberation of entire Belarus.

Zmitser Bandarenka:

- Lukashenka had to release Belarusian political prisoners for one reason – because of the collapsing economic in the country: the number of unemployed has grown manifold, the GDP has shrunk over the last 5 years, even during the new electoral campaign wages of Belarusians have decreased sharply. Over the year the Belarusian ruble has devaluated by 70%. However today is a happy day for Belarusians, our friends have been released and are at liberty, and we are sharing this joy with them and their families. Citizens of Belarus pin special hopes on Mikalai Statkevich – the presidential candidate in the elections of 2010, the former leader of the Belarusian Union of Military Servicemen, a retired Lieutenant Colonel. He went on hunger strike in prison several times, he spent more than a year in a solitary confinement. He is exactly the person on whom Belarusians pin their hopes for changing the situation in the country.