Mikola Statkevich: I see no prospects of situation easing

Katsyaryna Statkevich has received a letter from Shklou colony from her father, a former presidential candidate.

After a long break in their correspondence with the daughter who lives in Germany, the politician decided to answer to the letter hoping that this time it would not result in “their public reading and collective punishments.”

“I have not written letters for a few months (since mid-August). But i wrote one letter in October, and it arrived, though it was traveling for 11 days. That is why I decided to answer letters again: maybe this time they will do without their public reading and collective punishments,” Katsyaryna Statkevich quotes her father.

Mikola Statkevich notes that “the greatest problem in prison is not conditions or my “companions in misfortune,” but those who rush to fulfil any, even most crazy orders of their superiors.”

The former presidential candidate has written about his health, which leaves much to be desired:

“I am fine. Since November I am recognized completely able to work, and continue my work at a power saw. My arm aches a little, but till the end of the month I hope it is to get back to normal. I carry planks and beams at work, and also saw planks by a hand-saw. My work is good for health, I work in the open air. Time flies when I’m working. They say it’s cold here in winter, but I have good gear, as Maryna had sent warm clothes and footwear, and I do not fear winter,” Mikola Statkevich writes. “Work outdoors depends on the weather a lot. So far the weather was very favourable for us in autumn: dry and rather warm. Today cooling has started, but it is warm when you work anyway.”

It is obvious that the politician could not fail to mention the situation in Belarus in general, though he stays behind the bars. A little shop in Shklou colony is a wonderful acid test for making conclusions about the situation in the country in general:

“You know what is going on in Belarus except the weather. I can see by the little shop where we can buy some food once a weak, how much prices have soared. And salaries have remained almost the same, especially in the provinces. And I see no prospects for the situation easing. I feel really sorry for people, especially for pensioners. Winter is going to be foodless for them.

Prisoners who have to repay money (mostly businessmen) are limited by the sum they can spend in the shop in a month – 35,000 Br (3 Euro). I can spend 175,000 Br which is much better. It means, people are tortures by hunger, to make them pay money. But not all people have money to repay to the state,” Mikola Statkevich writes.

M. Statkevich was arrested on December 19, 2010 and sentenced to 6 years’ imprisonment. He serves the sentence in Shklou penal colony. The politician is demanded to write a petition for pardon, and Mikola Statkevich is not going to do that. The administration of the colony does not allow the politician contracting a marriage with his common law wife Maryna Adamovich.