Mikalai Statkevich: I don't aspire to become a hero, but I want to remain a decent person

Journalist Barys Vyrvich from Bialynichy received a letter from political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, who serves his term in prison No.4 in Mahilou.

The former presidential candidate writes about confinement conditions in the prison, where he had already spent a part of his sentence, Viasna human rights centre reports.

The political prisoner writes:

“I am again in the Mahilou prison, this time until the end of my term. Conditions for writing letters are better here, so I am going to reply to all letters.

I expected that I would be sent to prison again. Someone, perhaps, thinks the correctional facility is not able to persuade me to apply for a pardon. A correctional facility is an unpleasant and depressive place, but it doesn't shock. It resembles the army in many ways – the same barracks (but without an arms room), moving in formation, etc. Military trainings are replaced by work. A prison is a serious ordeal for physical and mental health, because you are always in an enclosed space. The second term in a closed prison is given only to the most dangerous and unruly inmates to break them physically and morally. I hope to survive, but I know for sure that I won't betray anyone. I don't aspire to be a hero, but I want to remain a decent person. Unfortunately, it can cost high in our country. I am ready to pay.

I decided to go to solitary confinement, because all 'official' means of pressure (a punishment cell, a cell-type unit and hard work) were exhausted. The remaining, 'unofficial', mean is cellmates. I am not afraid of them, I can act hard if necessary, but I don't want to control my cellmates all the time. I am tired of it.

I haven't seen newspapers since April. The only source of information is the First Channel of the Belarusian radio.”

Mikalai Statkevich wrote the letter on May 10. According to Barys Vyrvich, he understood from the letter that the political prisoner hadn't received all letters when he was in Shklou in April. The political prisoner mentioned that when in the correctional facility in Shklou, he “was in the punishment cell and then in the cell-type units in late March, where I couldn't write long letters – it was dark and I wasn't able to sit properly.” Statkevich also shared his thoughts about the elections and the opposition forces.