The 69-year-old leader of the People’s Community party, former presidential candidate in Belarus, Nikolai Statkevich, who refused to be deported to neighbouring Lithuania after his release from prison last week, was returned to the penal colony, reported the Nasha Niva newspaper, citing a source.
“Statkevich was found in Hlybotska penal colony. We call on the international community to demand his release,” wrote the leader of the Belarusian opposition Svetlana Tikhanovskaya in social network X, referring to the “Nasha Niva” report.
There’s no confirmation of this information from other sources yet.
September 11, 38 citizens of this country and 14 foreigners – from Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, France and the UK – were released from prisons in Belarus. Among those released is journalist of Radio Liberty Igor Losik, who spent more than five years in prison.
Nikolai Statkevich refused to leave the territory of Belarus and go to Lithuania for deportation on 11 September. According to “Belsat,” citing the advisor of Sviatlana Tikhanouskaya, Dzianis Kuchinski, Statkevich “practically kicked the door, flew out of the bus and ran into the territory of Belarus. For several hours he stood at the border on the Belarusian side, he was visible on the surveillance camera. His wife, American diplomats and several other people tried to persuade him to leave Belarus, but failed. The Lithuanian side claims that Statkevich did not cross the Lithuanian-Belarusian border.