Andres Herkel: Imprisonment of Andrei Sannikov is inadmissible

Imprisonment of Belarusian presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov is inadmissible, the special rapporteur of the Council of Europe, Andres Herkel, says.

Herkel noted it had been a time when whereabouts of Sannikov was unknown and said about signals from Belarusian prisons about using tortures.

On January 25, the Council of Europe adopted a resolution and recommendations on the situation in Belarus. The Council of Europe members were recommended to join the EU’s sanctions until all political prisoners in the country are released and rehabilitated, BelaPAN reports.

Herkel said a number of Council of Europe members did not want to join the EU’s sanctions. In his opinion, the texts of the resolution and recommendations would become another argument for the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to affect the position of certain countries regarding Belarus.

Herkel said he would continue to monitor the situation in the country.