Human rights organizations demand to stop pressurization of Mikalai Statkevich

Legal Transformation Centre Lawtrend and Human Rights Centre "Viasna" filed a appeal to the Department of Corrections and the administration of the penal colony №17 in Shklou concerning the increased pressure on the political prisoner.

Human rights activists are concerned with the administrative pressure, as well as additional violation reports and other forms of pressure against Mikalai Statkevich. He has been deprived of a food parcel and a short- and long-term visits with his relatives. He was also placed in a penal cell for three days and on April 3, 2015 was put in the cell-type facility for two months.

The human rights activists also have information about other forms of pressure on Mr. Statkevich, not regulated by the correctional legislation. The penalties, imposed on Mikalai Statkevich for trumped-up reasons, as well as reports about disciplinary violations create reasons for toughening the regime of penalty for him. Human rights activists believe that such actions of the administration of the colony are aimed at making Mr. Statkevich to write a petition for clemency to the President of the Republic of Belarus. Such actions are illegal and politically motivated, and can be regarded as inhuman or degrading treatment.

Legal Transformation Center “Lawtrend” and the Human Rights Center "Viasna" demand to:

1. Stop the administrative pressure against Mikalai Statkevich;

2. Cancel unlawful disciplinary penalties received by him during the last two months, and to annul the composed acts of misconduct;

3. Allow representatives of intergovernmental organizations (Delegation of the European Union, the United Nations Office in Belarus), and diplomatic missions of the European Union in the penal colony No. 17 to check the conditions in which Mr. Statkevich is currently kept.

Mikalai Statkevich, presidential candidate, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment in a maximum security colony on charges of organizing "mass riot" on the day of presidential elections, December 19, 2010. He pleaded innocent and refused to write a petition for pardon. International human rights organization Amnesty International recognized Mikalai Statkevich as prisoner of conscience. The text of the statement was also filed to the UN Office in Belarus and the Delegation of the European Union in Belarus.