Belarusian embassy in London “under siege” (Photo)

A public action organized by Free Belarus Now campaign was held opposite the Embassy of Belarus in the UK on May 31 in London.

Participants of the action showed their protest against the pressure on political prisoner Mikita Likhavid and refusal to render proper medical treatment to Zmitsrer Bandarenka, an inmate of the detention facility of the Interior Ministry. It was an immediate reaction to the ill-treatment of political prisoners by the authorities.

Mikita Likhavid, sentenced to 3.5 years’ imprisonment in a correctional colony in Navapolatsk, does not admit his guilt and thinks he was convicted unfairly. The colony administration punished him with 10 days in an isolation cell. Now he is the isolation cell again for 15 days. He had to mark his 21st birthday there.

Another demand of protesters related to Zmitser Bandarenka, sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment. He is in a detention facility of the Interior Ministry in Minsk. Zmitser needs urgent surgery on spine. He may be paralyzed, but the authorities continue to ignore recommendations of doctors.

The picketers handed over two notification letters to the Ambassador of Belarus in the UK. One of them said Free Belarus Now campaign demands to stop pressing on Mikita Likhavid immediately and reserves the right to inform appropriate international organizations on applying extreme pressure on the political prisoner.

The other letter tells the Belarusian authorities that the information about violations of rights of Zmitser Bandarenka and refusal to render proper medical treatment to him will be sent to international medical organizations: World Health Organization, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, UN Rapporteur on Tortures.

“In this situation we must take immediate actions. We will continue to react immediately to any actions by the authorities directed at violations of rights of the people arrested after the presidential elections. Our task for today is to timely inform international institutions able to influence the Belarusian authorities,” Iryna Bogdanova, coordinator of Free Belarus Now campaign, commented on the picket.