Ministry of Internal Affairs in deadlock

The Ministry of Internal Affairs tries to explain why political prisoner Andrei Sannikov has not been released.

Journalist Iryna Khalip, the wife of presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov, said Sannikov yielded to violence, threats and harassment and applied to Lukashenka for clemency on November 20, 2011.

The administration of penal colony Vitba-3 claims Sannikov’s petition and other necessary documents were sent to the department for citizenship and pardon at Lukashenka’s administration on January 23 2012. A representative of the ministry told BelaPAN Sannikov had applied for a pardon on December 23, not November 20.

Iryna Khalip comments on this statement to Radio Svaboda:

Yesterday, in the first half of the day, all governmental bodies were telling journalists no one knew about such a paper, it might be just Khalip’s “fantasies”. For example, the spokesman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs said it was just my words, no such document really existed. Later in the evening, it was told there was a document, but it was signed in December. It means we have driven them into a corner. It was senseless to lie anymore. They tried to find a way out by saying it happened in December. Under the law, the day before the press conference was the last day when the petition could be filed to the commission. December 23 was the last day to meet the deadline, so they took this date.”

Why did it happen so? Why was this information hidden?

I can only refer to my husband, who said the petition was not the aim for Lukashenka. Lukashenka does not need any petitions from political prisoners. He has another goal – to remove them physically, not to allow them to go out of prison. Other possible versions are that Lukashenka does not control the situation. It’s possible that “grey cardinals” stand behind this. Perhaps Viktar Lukashenka or someone else has been controlling everything for a long time and Lukashenka does not know what is going on. Another version is that Lukashenka hoped to hush up this information for future bargaining.

On what do you lay hopes to save Andrei Sannikov and release him from prison?

The main thing is that I informed public that he has been tortured since September. This information went public. It will be impossible now to say Sannikov does not want to see a lawyer and asks not to disturb him. People now know the real state of things – this is the most important today.