Mikalai Statkevich – 1500 days behind bars

January 27, 2015 marks exactly 1500 days that the presidential candidate in 2010, chairman of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party “Narodnaya Hramada”, political prisoner Mikalai Statkevich has spent behind bars.

He was arrested on December 19, 2010, the day of the presidential elections, and sentenced to 6 years in a reinforced regime colony on charges of “organizing mass disorder” (judge of Lenin district court of Minsk Ludmila Gracheva). On January 12, 2012 the regime of punishment was restricted. On the decision of judge of the Shklou region court  Vitaliy Volkau on the proposal of the administration of the colony №17 (the head of prison administration – colonel of internal service Siarhei Iarmolitski), Mikalai Statkevich was sentenced to 3 years of prison regime.

After the completion of a three-year prison sentence, on 12 January 2015 Mikalai was again transported to Shklou where he presumably should be till the end of the sentence.

On January 16, the Shklou Colony Commission on the replacement of regime refused to “mitigate” the punishment of Mikalai Statkevich, because he “did not start to change” and “did not participate in the work of non-governmental organizations.”

The international community has recognized Mikalai Statkevich as a prisoner of conscience.