“Freedom to Statkevich” banner unfurled in Brest

A banner with a call to release the political prisoner was seen in one of the busy streets of the capital of the region.

Charter97.org website was informed about that by dwellers of Brest.

Mikalai Statkevich is the only candidate for presidency in Belarus in the election of 2010, who is still kept behind the bars. In May 2011 he was sentenced to 6 years’ deprivation of liberty on charges relating orchestrating mass riots on the day of the presidential election. International human rights defence organisations have recognized Statkevich a political prisoner.

From the beginning the condemned politician was serving the sentence in the penal colony №17 in Shklou, however in January 2012 conditions were harshened, and he was transferred to Mahilyou prison №4 for three years. After this term, on January 12 this year, Statkevich was returned to Shklou colony, where two reports for violations of internal regulations were drawn up against him in the first two days. Now the politician is facing a new prison term.