Natallia Radzina: Lukashenko Kills Statkevich

The leader of the Belarusian opposition must be saved.

For two weeks there is no information about the whereabouts of Belarusian opposition leader Nikolai Statkevich, who refused to leave Belarus during the forced deportation of political prisoners from prisons across the country's border on September 11.

The editor-in-chief of Charter97.org Natallia Radzina writes in "Facebook" that Lukashenko is effectively killing his main opponent:

- The 69-year-old politician is known to have serious health problems. During the last five years of his imprisonment, he has had COVID three times, suffered a heart attack, has arrhythmia and serious heart problems. However, the authorities continue to refuse to say where Statkevich is, despite requests from human rights activists and UN experts, who have called what is happening "a case of enforced disappearance."

Dictator Lukashenko himself has confirmed that Nikolai Statkevich is in serious condition and "will die soon." Nevertheless, the political prisoner has not been released as a result of the pardon, instead it appears that he has been returned to prison.

Political prisoners are now being deported directly from prisons to neighboring Lithuania as a result of an agreement between the Belarusian authorities and the United States, denying them the right to remain in their native country. Apparently, the deal does not envision that people like Nikolai Statkevich will refuse to leave and, under the threat of a new prison sentence, will remain in Belarus.

But there are such heroes in Belarus, and they have the legal right to stay in their homeland after their release from prison. And now it is necessary for the US and EU authorities to convey this simple and clear message to the regime, as negotiations with the dictator on the release of the hostages have already begun. We are, of course, glad that people are let out of prisons, but it is unacceptable to silently observe how Lukashenka kills the leader of the opposition and to continue to lift sanctions against his dictatorship. We are talking about human life, and if Nikolai Statkevich is not saved today, the blame for his death will fall on everyone.

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