We support Mikalai Statkevich!

More than 1,500 people have joined the initiative group to nominate Mikalai Statkevich as a presidential candidate.

Famous Belarusians Zinaida Bandarenka, Pavel Seviarynets, Aliaksei Marachkin, Uladzimir Khalip, Mikalai Autukhovich, Ryhor Kastusiou, Slavamir Adamovich, Liavon Volski, Aliaksandr Tamkovich, Viachaslau Siuchyk, Siarhei Zakonnikau, Yury Khashchavatski, Zmitser Dashkevich and Volha Zavadskaya explain why they decided to support Mikalai and join the initiative group and say what results they expect to achieve.

Pavel Seviarynets, co-head of the organising committee to create the Belarusian Christian Democracy party, former political prisoner:

“Firstly, the campaign to nominate Mikalai Statkevich as a presidential candidate is the only politically reasonable step at the so called 2015 elections. Its aim is to express solidarity with Mikalai and other political prisoners, to unite people and expose the fake essence of the so called presidential elections.

I know Mikalai personally. I know him as a brave man. Entire Belarus knows him as a hero. One needs enormous courage to stay strong in such conditions, suffering tortures and ill-treatment for many years, to stay firm and not to apply for a pardon. Entire Belarus needs this courage as an example.

The BCD delegates several hundreds persons to the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich. Regardless of whether we will be registered or not, we must launch a wide campaign to collect signatures for Statkevich and other political prisoners. We will hold a solidarity campaign and provide information to all foreigners responsible for relations with our country. 'Elections' cannot be recognised valid and fair even now, because one of the candidates in the 2010 elections is still in jail. We have few chances that our initiative group will be registered, but we have the action plan and we know what we should do next.”

Uladzimir Khalip, playwright, writer, columnist:

“The fact that Mikalai Statkevich and other political prisoners, the people who are totally innocent, are in jail is barbarity that no normal citizen can tolerate. It doesn't matter what clothes the current head of state wears and how he is taken by other countries, while his regime remains the most sadistic and meanest one in Europe.

Holding Mikalai Statkevich in prison is reprisal against him. No one in Europe can put pressure on our head of state, on the contrary, they try to whitewash him and make him a legitimate figure, with whom the West could establish contacts. This is outrageous. We cannot give up our ideals of justice and decency and yield to rascals, otherwise we will found ourselves in the state in which Europe was ahead of World War II. If we surrender to sadists and prisoners, it will hit the people of one country and then entire Europe.

I don't think we can exert much influence on the current regime and make it listen to the public, which it doesn't care about. But it is our duty to do something. Everyone must do its best. Belarusian society has done little to release political prisoners. Now, when the elections are coming, we know that new political prisoners may appear. We must do our best to prevent it.

I do not believe that our initiative group will be registered. I am convinced that the regime won't make any compromises. If feels confident, and can be liquidated only through pressure from all sides, first of all from society. We should find new methods of struggle for the release of political prisoners, new forms of pressure on the regime and use all variants possible.”

Mikalai Autukhovich, businessman, Soviet-Afghan War veteran, former political prisoner:

“My aim is not just to see Statkevich running in the 'elections', I want him to be released. I do not believe the initiative group will be registered. I think our only possible action is boycotting the 'elections'. All see that we live in an imitation of a country, but no one wants to change something. We need to contitue struggling on our battlefield. We should begin to live by new rules to get rid of many illusions.”

Aliaksei Marachkin, artist, teacher and activist:

“There are people who take critically our initiative groups and the idea to nominate Mikalai Statkevich as a presidential candidate. They say he has a conviction and doesn't have the right to be elected president by law. I think these people are mistaken. Their reasoning shows they agree he was convicted legally. I and all people in Mikalai Statkevch's team think in a different way. We say that he was convicted illegally, that holding him in prison is violence against him, the political prisoner who was arrested when the elections were not officially finished.

Those who give their votes for Mikalai Statkevich are real patriots, real Belarusians who will never agree that his imprisonment is a right thing. We show the world that Mikalai Statkevich, a presidential candidate of the previous elections, was sentenced illegally. He was and remains our candidate. Our aim is to release Mikalai. The rest will be decided later. To be honest, I am not very interested whether the initiative group will be registered or not. We need to work for his registration after he is released. This will be the second step. If a person is held in prison illegally, the release is the only and main task. I do not trust the current authorities, but we need to seek justice.”

Zmitser Dashkevich, co-head of Young Front, former political prisoner:

“I think joining the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich is the best way to achieve his release and the release of other political prisoners.

We will wait for the registration. Everything depends on Lukashenka, on what order he will give to Yarmoshyna – to register us or not. If the initiative group is registered, I will collect signatures. I know from experience that it is possible to collect about 1000 signatures in non-working hours. People know Statkevich and understand he is prosecuted for his views.

It would be more convenient for Lukashenka not to register the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich. He doesn't want the name of Statkevich to be among the names of fake candidates that we already see. A boycott is the only variant is the registration is denied. In this case we are going to continue struggling for the release of political prisoners and will call on citizens not to vote.”

Volha Zavadskaya, mother of journalist Zmitser Zavadski who disappeared 15 years ago:

“I joined the initiative group of Mikalai Statevich because I want to attract public attention to the fact that he is a political prisoner, that he has been in jail since the previous elections. I would like people in our country and around to world to turn more attention to this. I don't hope for other opposition politicians.

I believe that the initiative group of Mikalai Statkevich will be registered. I hope the Central Election Commission has remains of conscience. I'd like to wish success to all members of the initiative group.

Kiryl Zhyvalovich, specially for charter97.org