Zmitser Bandarenka: “They will not have a chance to dodge any more…”

The coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign wrote about his application for a pardon in a letter home.

On February 6, Zmitser Bandarenka’s wife Volha received two letters from her husband. One of the m was written after Zmitser had applied for a pardon. Volha Bandarenka told Radio Svaboda:

“It’s obvious he cannot be honest. Some phrases are formulated in such a way that I must think about their meaning. But he was clearer about the possible release: ‘Everything is possible now, but the situation is most likely to aggravate. They will not have a chance to dodge any more. I must support Andrei.’

I can only comment that Lukashenka said earlier they did not want the release because they did not apply for a pardon, but as it turned out, Sannukov applied for a pardon, but he has not been released and has been put under pressure again. Why did lawyers have no access to him? Everyone was allowed to see a lawyer, but he was not. Zmitser has applied for a pardon. Let’s see if he will be released. Zmitser seems not to rule out it will take a long time. Thank heaven, he got his walking stick back,” Volha Bandarenka said.

Now Zmitser Bandarenka can walk with a walking stick and use special shoes. Political prisoner Bandarenka has problems with his spine and leg. He underwent a surgery in prison.

On February 4, Zmitser Bandarenka told his wife on the phone he had applied for a pardon on February 1.

It became known in late January that Andrei Sannikov had applied for clemency. According to Iryna Khalip, the wife of the presidential candidate, it happened in late November, though the Corrections Department claims the application was signed in late December. The presidential candidate was under tough pressure. Secret service threatened his wife and son would be killed.