Belarus opposition figure Nikolai Statkevich vanishes after refusing to leave country
Nikolai Statkevich, the former Belarusian presidential candidate and leader of the "Narodnaya Hromada" party, who was freed by Alexander Lukashenka on September 11, has vanished after refusing to go into exile.
The news was announced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty during a press conference for former political prisoners in Vilnius. His relatives also say they have no information on his whereabouts, reports The Moscow Times.
Citing a statement from Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya’s advisor, Denis Kuchynski, Belsat reports that the opposition figure ‘almost broke the door, jumped from the bus, and ran back into Belarusian territory’ while being transported to Lithuania. He remained near the border on the Belarusian side for several hours, with his movements captured by surveillance cameras. Meanwhile, his wife, U.S. diplomats, and others unsuccessfully tried to convince him to leave.
The publication Nasha Niva notes that on September 11, pro-government Telegram channels in Belarus claimed that Statkevich had reached Lithuania after all, but by the next morning, information about his disappearance began to circulate. Lithuanian authorities state that Statkevich did not cross the border.
Another "Narodnaya Hromada" activist, Serghei Sparysh, who was freed alongside Statkevich, said he saw him in the KGB prison "in excellent spirits." However, Sparysh raised deep concerns about Statkevich’s health, given his heart problems, chronic bronchitis, and the fact that he suffered from COVID-19 and pneumonia while in detention.
Nikolai Statkevich, who ran in the 2010 presidential election, was arrested before the 2020 election and sentenced to 14 years in prison for ‘organising mass riots’. On September 11, Lukashenko freed 52 political prisoners, including Statkevich. In exchange, the United States lifted sanctions against the Belarusian airline Belavia.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
