Rally In Support Of Mikalai Statkevich Will Take Place In Vilnius Today
- 26.02.2023, 11:23
The beginning - at 12.00.
A rally will be held in support of the leader of the Belarusian opposition Mikalai Statkevich in Vilnius, on February 26, at 12:00. He has been behind bars for 1000 days by order of Lukashenka. The rally will take place in Vinco Kudirkos square.
“For 1000 days Mikalai Statkevich has been imprisoned in a solitary cell. Just like about 5,000 thousand other brave people (recognized and unrecognized political prisoners),” the Narodnaia Hramada Telegram channel reports.
It should be reminded that yesterday the EU diplomats from the Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, France, Poland, Sweden, Slovakia and the United States met with Marina Adamovich, the wife of the leader of the Belarusian opposition, political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich, to express solidarity and call for his release.
In total, the great son of the Belarusian people, lieutenant colonel Mikalai Statkevich has been behind bars for more than 10 years.
What is Mikalai Statkevich famous for?
In 1991, Mikalai Statkevich announced the creation of the Belarusian Military Association, which aimed at “creating a Belarusian army, protecting the independence and patriotically educated society”.
In 1999, Mikalai was one of the organizers of the Freedom March, directed against the so-called "union state" and the policies of Aliaksandr Lukashenka. The Freedom March showed the whole world that the people of Belarus prefer the European democratic way of development instead of medieval dictatorship and barbarism.
In 2005, Mikalai Statkevich was sentenced to 3 years in prison for organizing a peaceful demonstration against the falsification of the 2004 referendum results.
In 2010, Mikalai was one of the presidential candidates in the elections. He was arrested after a mass demonstration against the fraudulent presidential elections on December 19, 2010. Mikalai spent almost five years behind bars and was released only on August 22, 2015. After his release, Statkevich continued to fight against the Lukashenka regime and took an active part in all protests.
On May 31, 2020, Mikalai Statkevich was detained on his way to the picket, and in December 2021 he was sentenced to 14 years in a special-regime correctional colony.
It should be reminded that Statkevich spent more than 10 years in prison for his exemplary courage in resisting the regime. The politician has been recognized as a prisoner of conscience three times by Amnesty International. Even after being imprisoned, Mikalai Statkevich remains a symbol of fortitude for Belarusians.