Natallia Radzina: Mikalai Statkevich Is Still In Great Danger
2- 23.02.2026, 12:28
- 2,002
One should closely monitor the condition of the Belarusian opposition leader.
Editor-in-chief of the site Charter97.org Natallia Radzina believes that the leader of the Belarusian opposition Mikalai Statkevich, who suffered a stroke in prison, is in great danger. She said this in an interview with "Radio Racyja":
- It's really true, and I say it with bitterness. On the one hand, of course, we are happy that Mikalai Statkevich is still free, that he is at home, next to his wife Marina, who selflessly fought for him for so many years.
On the other hand, we see that he was released in an extremely serious condition, that he suffered a stroke in prison. We expected this, because it was immediately clear: Nikolai has serious health problems. We were alarmed, journalists wrote that Statkevich could have had either a stroke or a heart attack in prison - he has serious heart problems. During his imprisonment, he got covitis several times, Nikolai needed urgent medical care. But nobody listened to us - and this is the result. What the authorities have done is just bringing a man to a disabled state.
I am still very worried about the condition of Mikalai Statkevich. Will he be provided with adequate medical care in Belarus? Will he be able to undergo normal rehabilitation? I believe that he is still in great danger.
It is necessary to keep the focus on his life and fate in Belarus, he must not be forgotten. The authorities should know that both Western diplomats and the entire Belarusian emigration abroad are all watching the state of Mikalai Statkevich's health.
- Some say that perhaps his act at the border, when he found himself leaving Belarus was unnecessary, and that Statkevich would have been more useful if he had stayed on this side of the border and remained healthy in the state he was in on September 11, 2025.
- No one has the right to judge Mikalai Statkevich. It was his choice. I believe that it is a worthy deed - what he did. Such people preserve the honor of the whole nation. The nation starts to be respected when people like Mikalai Statkevich do such deeds.
Many people, including those from Ukraine, wrote to me and said: "Now we respect you, Belarusians". When they saw how Mikalai Statkevich behaved at the border, they realized that the Belarusians are actually stubborn and are able to achieve their goals. They said this exactly after they saw Mikalai Statkevich's deed. He is a truly great personality for Belarus. Such people should be protected, because they are very few in any nation.
- Do you think that the state of health of Statkevich will become a topic of international pressure on the Belarusian authorities in the issue of responsibility for the torture of political prisoners?
- Of course, the condition in which Mikalai Statkevich was released testifies to the torture of political prisoners. And I would not welcome the release of a person in such a state. Unfortunately, political prisoners have been released before in extremely serious condition, seriously ill. Some died a month or a year after their release.
I hope that Mikalai Statkevich will recover and will be able to recover from the stroke. But this should by no means lead to any easing of sanctions against Lukashenko's regime. First of all, he was first forcibly taken out of the country, then put back into prison and brought to such a state. The authorities must also be held accountable for that. There should be no lifting of sanctions now.
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