Mikalai Statkevich nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

4 mins

На русском языке: Николая Статкевича выдвинули на Нобелевскую премию мира
На беларускай мове: Міколу Статкевіча вылучылі на Нобелеўскую прэмію міру

It became known that Mikalai Statkevich was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. This was reported by Reform, citing Yauhen Vilski, acting head of Narodnaya Hramada (Statkevich’s party).

The political prisoner has been in jail for 4.5 years.

Mikalai Statkevich is one of the most famous Belarusian oppositionists, who has been consistently fighting for the democratic future of Belarus for over 30 years.

Back in the 90s, Colonel Mikalai Statkevich created Belarusian military association. The purpose of the organization was to create the Belarusian army and to protect the independence of the country. The organization participated in the development of documents aimed at the formation of the Belarusian army and military reform in Belarus.

One of the most famous actions held by Statkevich’s organization was the taking of the civil oath of allegiance to Belarus on September 8, 1992 on the anniversary of the Battle of Orsha.

Already with Lukashenka’s rule, the activity of the organization was de facto banned, and Mikalai Statkevich was dismissed from military service.

Later Statkevich became the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Narodnaya Hramada), which organized dozens, if not hundreds of various actions of the late 90s and early 2000s, including protests during the ‘Minsk Spring’ and the Freedom March in 1999.

Mikalai Statkevich ran several times for membership in the House of Representatives and was a candidate in the 2010 elections, after which the famous Ploshcha 2010 took place and Statkevich was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Statkevich served his full sentence and was not pardoned, although the law enforcers tried to persuade him to do so.

Mikalai Statkevich has been recognized three times as a prisoner of conscience according to Amnesty International. In 2020, he was one of the leaders of the Belarusian democratic movement who received the Sakharov Prize.

At the time of the awarding of this prize, Statkevich was once again behind bars. On December 14, 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Since February 2023, he has been kept incommunicado from his family and the outside world.

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