Mikalai Statkevich Is 60

One of the Belarusian opposition leaders and a former political prisoner is celebrating his 60th birthday.

Mikalai Statkevich’s life will not fit into one book or one script. He is known as a former presidential candidate in Belarus, who has spent five years in prison. In 1991 Statkevich was the only officer, who called for the military not to fulfil criminal orders of the Emergency Committee, and then became the real “Founding Father” of the Belarusian army, initiating the oath of allegiance to Belarus.

Mikalai Statkevich was born in the village of Liadna (Slutsk district, Minsk region) on August 12, 1956. He graduated from the Minsk Higher Engineer Air Missile School. He defended his thesis and worked as a teacher of the Minsk Higher Engineering School of antiaircraft missile. He’s got a candidate’s degree, is a retired lieutenant colonel.

On August 20, 1991 he publicly opposed the putsch in Moscow. At the same time he announced the creation of the Belarusian military men association.

In 1995 he was elected chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Hramada. After the merger with the Social Democratic Party of Popular Accord and the formation of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada) he became the chairman of Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada).

He was one of the presidential candidates in the elections of 2010. He was arrested after mass protests against rigging the presidential elections of December 19, 2010. Then more than 700 protesters were arrested, including presidential candidates Andrei Sannikov, Uladzimir Nyaklyaeu, Ales Mikhalevich and their campaign office members.

On May 26, 2011, the politician was sentenced to 6 years of imprisonment in a strict regime colony by the court of Partyzanski District of Minsk.

On January 12, 2012 the court decided to toughen his conditions and he was transferred from the colony № 17 in Shklou to prison № 4 in Mahiliou. Statkevich was often thrown into a punishment cell, the political prisoner was limited in getting care packages and meetings with relatives, there were provocations against him inspired by the authorities.

The politician was released from prison on August 22, 2015.

Charter97.org wishes Mikalai Statkevich happy birthday.