Sannikov refused to talk to prosecutors

On February 8 the lawyer met with the presidential candidate.

As BelaPAN was told by the wife of the politician Iryna Khalip, the presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov refused to talk to representatives of the prosecutor’s office who visited him in the colony Vitsba-3.

As said by her, Alyaksandr Chadziuk, the prosecutor of Vitsebsk region and the head of the General Prosecutor’s office’s department of on supervision over due process of law in criminal punishments Yury Haroshka. “They wanted Sannikov to give explanations, however he refused to talk to them,” Khalip said. “As far as I understand, they arrived as they are checking information which was published in the media after my press-conference that pressure had been exerted on Andrei, and the circumstances of his writing a petition for pardon. I do not also exclude that a check is being carried out concerning the complaints written by lawyers previously.”

Khalip noted that according to the lawyer, there are no changes in the situation of Sannikov now. “He was not saying much about himself, and the lawyer did not ask questions, as they had been given instructions [what should not be discussed – BelaPAN.],” Khalip said.

We remind that in late January it was reported that Andrei Sannikov had written a petition for clemency. As said by the politician, it was written back in November 20, 2011 under the influence of tortures. As stated by representatives of the Interior Ministry, on January 23 the administration of Vitsba-3 colony, where Sannikov is serving the sentence, passed the petition to the department on issues of citizenship and pardon of Lukashenka’s administration. The date of the session of the Pardon Committee is unknown.