“Freedom to Statkievich” billboard installed at Belarus-Poland border

A billboard with the image of the political prisoner was installed in the territory of Poland next to the border with Belarus.

It has the former presidential candidate’s picture on it and a writing “Freedom to Statkievich”, the politician’s web-site reports.

Mikalaj Statkievich was one of the candidates running for president in 2010. He was arrested after a mass manifestation of protest against the rigged presidential elections of 19 December 2010. Over 700 participants of the manifestation were then arrested, including presidential candidates and the members of their teams.

On 26 May 2011 the politician was sentenced to 6 years in high security prison by the court of Minsk’s Partizanski district. Last year the conditions of the imprisonment were toughened. He has been transferred from the penal colony number 17 in Shklou to the prison number 4 in Mahilou.

One of the latest letters that the politician sent from prison was confiscated by the prosecutor’s office. Later it came out that in the letter the politician reported that political prisoners had been threatened with being raped.