Zmitser Bandarenka: No elections as long as at least one political prisoner behind bars

A coordinator of “European Belarus” demands to release Mikalai Dzyadok.

Zmitser Bandarenka has said about that in an interview to charter97.org website, commenting on the threat that the prison term for the political prisoner could be extended.

“Mikalai Dzyadok is a very courageous young man,” he said. “I served the term together with him in the penal colony #15 in Mahilyou. We were in different parties, but sometimes we managed to talk through a wire net of “local zone”. Mikalai had never concealed his convictions. He is a committed, staunch anarchist, who faithful is to his principles. Exactly because it was impossible to break his spirit in the colony, he was sent to Mahilyou prison with harsher conditions.

Now Lukashenka and the authorities are committing very mean actions. A few months before Mikalai Dzyadok’s release they are trying to add at least a year of imprisonment for him.

What is happening now is the thing the leaders of “European Belarus” and many human rights watchdogs had been warning about. In another period of a so-called “liberalization” and flirting with the West, crackdown in the country is stepped up. People who are not in the colony, are thrown into prison for several days illegally, and provocations, pressure, humiliation, torture (most of them are serving terms in one-man cells) have been stepped up against political prisoners. And as we see, it’s increase of a prison term in the case of Mikalai Dzyadok.

I would also like to say about the responsibility of the so-called “opposition leaders”, who have once again initiated petty intrigues with “selection of a single candidate” recently. Stop these games – only one statement is needed from you today: No elections as long as at least one political prisoner remains behind the bars. By your actions you help the authorities to intensify crackdown.

A secret visit of the representative of the European Commission Wiegand has also contributed to unleashing new repressions against the civil society in Belarus.

Freedom to Mikalai Dzyadok!”

We remind that it was informed today that three months before his release, Mikalai Dzyadok is charged with “malicious insubordination”. The sanctions for violation of this article are up to a year of deprivation of freedom additionally.