Bundestag member adopts Mikita Likhavid

Manuel Sarrazin, member of the German Bundestag and member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, has taken on a prisoner’s godparenthood for Mikita Likhavid.

Mikita Likhavid was sentenced to 3.5 years’ imprisonment for taking part in the event on December 19.

The Prisoner’s Godparenthood campaign was initiated by Bonn-based human rights organization Libereco - Partnership for Human Rights. The aim of the campaign is to give moral and political support of German MPs to all Belarusian political prisoner and their families. A godparent takes care of his political prisoner, supports him and his family morally and financially, spreads information about Belarusian political prisoners calling to free them.

Commenting on a decision to adopt Mikita Likhavid, Manuel Sarrazin noted he was concerned about the crackdown of Lukashenka’s regime on participants of peaceful demonstrations who did not agree with the results of the presidential election.

“He [Mikita Likhavid] was sentenced to three years and six months in a labour camp, a sentence I cannot accept. Lukashenka is trampling over all the principles of democracy by holding these arbitrary show trials. Nor can I accept the repressive treatment which Mikita’s relatives report he is being subjected to in the Navapolatsk labour colony,” Sarrazin said.

Michael Gahler, MEP, and Philipp Mißfelder, Bundestag member and chairman of the Junge Union, adopted political prisoners Pavel Sevyarynets and Zmitser Dashkevich last week. Franz Thönnes, a member of the German Social Democrat’s Parliamentary Group, adopted presidential candidate Mikalai Statkevich. Marieluise Beck, member of the German Green Parliamentary Group and spokesman for Eastern Europe, took over a godparenthood for presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov. Marek Migalski, Polish MEP and substitute to the EP Delegation for Relations with Belarus, adopted political prisoner Zmitser Bandarenka.