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{{short description|Belarusian politician and pro-democracy activist}}
{{short description|Belarusian politician and pro-democracy activist}}

{{Family name hatnote|Viktaravich|Statkevich|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name =Mikalai Statkevich
| name = Mikola Statkevich
| native_name = {{nobold|Мікола Статкевіч}}
⚫
| image = Mikalai Statkevich.JPG
| native_name_lang = be
| imagesize =
⚫
| image = Mikalai Statkevich.JPG
| caption =
| birth_date ={{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|8|12}}
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1956|8|12}}
| birth_place = Liadna, near [[Slutsk]], [[Belorussian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| birth_place = Liadna, near [[Slutsk]], [[Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic|Byelorussian SSR]], [[Soviet Union]] (now Belarus)
| known = Political activism
| known = Political activism
| title =
| title =
| nationality = [[Belarusians|Belarusian]]
| nationality = [[Belarusians|Belarusian]]
| spouse =
| website =
| employer =
}}
}}


'''Mikola (Mikalai) Statkevich''' ({{lang-be|Мікола Віктаравіч Статкевіч}}, {{lang-ru|Николай Викторович Статкевич}}, born 12 August 1956) is a [[Belarus]]ian politician and presidential candidate at the [[2010 Belarusian presidential election|2010 election]]. Since May 31, 2020 he is held in prison by Belarusian authorities. [[Viasna Human Rights Centre]] recognized him as a political prisoner.<ref name="Viasna Human Rights Centre">{{cite web |url=http://spring96.org/en/news/97953 |title=Viasna condemns persecution of opposition leader Statkevich as politically motivated |date=30 June 2020 |work=Viasna Human Rights Centre |accessdate=6 March 2021}}</ref> On December 14, 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.<ref name="socialistinternational">{{cite web |url=https://www.socialistinternational.org/activities/mikalai-statkevich-sentenced-to-14-years/ |title=Mikalai Statkevich sentenced to 14 years |date=14 December 2021 |work=[[Socialist International]] |accessdate=27 December 2021}}</ref>
'''Mikola (Mikalai) Viktaravich Statkevich''' ({{lang-be|Мікола Віктаравіч Статкевіч}}, {{lang-ru|Николай Викторович Статкевич|translit=Nikolai Viktorovych Statkevich}}; born 12 August 1956) is a Belarusian politician and presidential candidate at the [[2010 Belarusian presidential election|2010 election]]. Since 31 May 2020 he is held in prison by Belarusian authorities. [[Viasna Human Rights Centre]] recognized him as a political prisoner.<ref name="Viasna Human Rights Centre">{{cite web |url=http://spring96.org/en/news/97953 |title=Viasna condemns persecution of opposition leader Statkevich as politically motivated |date=30 June 2020 |work=Viasna Human Rights Centre |accessdate=6 March 2021}}</ref> On 14 December 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.<ref name="socialistinternational">{{cite web |url=https://www.socialistinternational.org/activities/mikalai-statkevich-sentenced-to-14-years/ |title=Mikalai Statkevich sentenced to 14 years |date=14 December 2021 |work=[[Socialist International]] |accessdate=27 December 2021}}</ref>


==Biography==
== Biography ==
Mikola Statkevich was born in Liadna near [[Slutsk]] into a family of school teachers. He is a descendant of the [[Statkiewicz]] noble family.
Mikola Statkevich was born in Liadna near [[Slutsk]] into a family of school teachers. He is a descendant of the [[Statkiewicz]] noble family.


Statkevich graduated from a military engineering school in Minsk and served in the [[Soviet army|Soviet]] antiaircraft defense in the Arctic region.
Statkevich graduated from a military engineering school in Minsk and served in the [[Soviet Army|Soviet]] antiaircraft defense in the Arctic region.


In the early 1990s Statkevich was one of the leaders of the [[Belarusian Militarymen Association]], a pro-independence union of Soviet officers from Belarus.<ref name="nn">{{cite web |url=http://www.nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=35423 |title=Мікола Статкевіч: У 2011 годзе ў апазіцыі можа быць апошні шанец |language=Belarusian |date=23 February 2010 |publisher=nn.by |accessdate=10 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212091208/http://nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=35423 |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1991 Statkevich has left the [[Communist Party of the USSR]] as a protest against [[January Events (Lithuania)|a brutal Soviet military action]] against the democratic pro-independence opposition in [[Lithuania]].<ref name="svaboda">{{cite web |url=http://www.svaboda.org/content/article/2187906.html |title=Мікола Статкевіч (біяграфія) |language=Belarusian |date=10 December 2012 |publisher=svaboda.org |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref>
In the early 1990s, Statkevich was one of the leaders of the [[Belarusian Militarymen Association]], a pro-independence union of Soviet officers from Belarus.<ref name="nn">{{cite web |url=http://www.nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=35423 |title=Мікола Статкевіч: У 2011 годзе ў апазіцыі можа быць апошні шанец |language=Belarusian |date=23 February 2010 |publisher=nn.by |accessdate=10 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212091208/http://nn.by/index.php?c=ar&i=35423 |archive-date=12 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1991 Statkevich has left the [[Communist Party of the USSR]] as a protest against [[January Events (Lithuania)|a brutal Soviet military action]] against the democratic pro-independence opposition in [[Lithuania]].<ref name="svaboda">{{cite web |url=http://www.svaboda.org/content/article/2187906.html |title=Мікола Статкевіч (біяграфія) |language=Belarusian |date=10 December 2012 |publisher=svaboda.org |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref>


In 1993 Statkevich was actively protesting against Belarus joining a collective defence treaty with [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Armenia]] that were at war at a time, to prevent Belarusian soldiers serving in military conflicts outside the country. For this Statkevich has been dismissed from the army shortly before the scheduled presentation of his [[Doctor of Science]] dissertation.<ref name=nn/>
In 1993 Statkevich was actively protesting against Belarus joining a collective defence treaty with [[Azerbaijan]] and [[Armenia]] that were at war at a time, to prevent Belarusian soldiers serving in military conflicts outside the country. For this Statkevich has been dismissed from the army shortly before the scheduled presentation of his [[Doctor of Science]] dissertation.<ref name=nn/> He then became one of the leaders of the [[Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly)]], including the party's chairman since 1995.<ref name=svaboda/>


He then became one of the leaders of the [[Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly)]], including the party's chairman since 1995.<ref name=svaboda/>
Statkevich was one of the leaders of the 1999 [[Freedom March (Belarus)|Freedom March]] against the [[Union State]].


In 2005 Statkevich was sentenced to three years of labour for organising mass protests against the [[2004 Belarusian referendum|2004 referendum in Belarus]] that has lifted the constitutional limit on presidential terms and allowed president [[Aliaksandr Lukashenka]] to again participate in presidential elections. [[Amnesty International]] declared Mikola Statkevich a [[prisoner of conscience]]. He was then set free in 2007 following an amnesty.<ref name=nn/>
In 2005 Statkevich was sentenced to three years of labour for organising mass protests against the [[2004 Belarusian referendum|2004 referendum in Belarus]] that has lifted the constitutional limit on presidential terms and allowed president [[Aliaksandr Lukashenka]] to again participate in presidential elections. [[Amnesty International]] declared Mikola Statkevich a [[prisoner of conscience]]. He was then set free in 2007 following an amnesty.<ref name=nn/>


In 2010 Mikola Statkevich was one of many democratic candidates running in the [[2010 Belarusian presidential election|presidential election]]. After the crackdown of the opposition demonstration, he was arrested and put in prison. On 26 May 2011, he was sentenced to 6 years in a medium security penal colony.<ref name=charter97>{{cite web |url=http://charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/26/38959/ |title=Statkevich sentenced to 6, Uss to 5.5 years in prison |date=26 May 2011 |work=Charter 97 |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] reported in July 2012 that Statkevich had been moved to a "punishment cell" after refusing to sign a confession.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/EUR49/010/2012/en/ |title=Belarusian prisoner faces punishment cell |date=9 July 2012 |publisher=Amnesty International |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref> He was later released from imprisonment but disappeared in early 2017 after announcing a planned demonstration in central Minsk. He was again released by authorities after they violently suppressed the rally.<ref name=RadioFreeEurope>{{cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-freed-detention/28393028.html |title=Missing Belarusian Opposition Leader Freed After Three-Day Detention |date=27 March 2017 |work=Radio Free Europe |accessdate=9 August 2017}}</ref>
Statkevich was one of many democratic candidates who ran in the [[2010 Belarusian presidential election]]. After a crackdown on opposition demonstrations, he was arrested and put in prison. On 26 May 2011, he was sentenced to 6 years in a medium security penal colony.<ref name=charter97>{{cite web |url=http://charter97.org/en/news/2011/5/26/38959/ |title=Statkevich sentenced to 6, Uss to 5.5 years in prison |date=26 May 2011 |work=Charter 97 |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] reported in July 2012 that Statkevich had been moved to a "punishment cell" after refusing to sign a confession.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/EUR49/010/2012/en/ |title=Belarusian prisoner faces punishment cell |date=9 July 2012 |publisher=Amnesty International |accessdate=10 July 2012}}</ref> He was later released from imprisonment but disappeared in early 2017 after announcing a planned demonstration in central Minsk. He was again released by authorities after they violently suppressed the rally.<ref name=RadioFreeEurope>{{cite web |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/belarus-statkevich-freed-detention/28393028.html |title=Missing Belarusian Opposition Leader Freed After Three-Day Detention |date=27 March 2017 |work=Radio Free Europe |accessdate=9 August 2017}}</ref>


On May 31, 2020, he was arrested on his way to a rally where signatures for [[Svetlana Tikhanovskaya]] were being gathered. He was sentenced to 15 days for participating in an unsanctioned protest.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.currenttime.tv/a/belarus-court-arrest-statkevich/30646669.html | title=Белорусского оппозиционера Статкевича арестовали на 15 суток }}</ref> This sentence was extended two more times, and he was tried again on June 29 for organizing unrest.<ref>https://news.tut.by/economics/690840.html {{Dead link|date=August 2022}}</ref> [[Viasna Human Rights Centre]] called the accusations politically motivated and demanded the immediate release of Statkevich.<ref name="Viasna Human Rights Centre"/>
On 31 May 2020, he was arrested on his way to a rally where signatures for [[Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya]] were being gathered. He was sentenced to 15 days for participating in an unsanctioned protest.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.currenttime.tv/a/belarus-court-arrest-statkevich/30646669.html | title=Белорусского оппозиционера Статкевича арестовали на 15 суток }}</ref> This sentence was extended two more times, and he was tried again on 29 June for organizing unrest.<ref>https://news.tut.by/economics/690840.html {{Dead link|date=August 2022}}</ref> [[Viasna Human Rights Centre]] called the accusations politically motivated and demanded the immediate release of Statkevich.<ref name="Viasna Human Rights Centre"/>


On December 14, 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Along with him, [[Ihar Losik]], [[Sergei Tikhanovsky]] and three other political prisoners were also sentenced. Throughout the 565 days he has spent in detention, Statkevich was not allowed to get access to legal representation or defence and he has been denied all contact with his family.<ref name="socialistinternational"/>
On 14 December 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Along with him, [[Ihar Losik]], [[Sergei Tikhanovsky]] and three other political prisoners were also sentenced. Throughout the 565 days he has spent in detention, Statkevich was not allowed to get access to legal representation or defence and he has been denied all contact with his family.<ref name="socialistinternational"/>


== Awards and recognitions ==
== Awards and recognitions ==
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Statkevich, Mikola}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Statkevich, Mikola}}
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[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus]]
[[Category:Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Belarus]]
[[Category:Political prisoners according to Viasna Human Rights Centre]]
[[Category:Belarusian democracy activists]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2010 Belarusian presidential election]]
[[Category:Belarusian military personnel]]
[[Category:Belarusian politicians]]
[[Category:Belarusian politicians]]
[[Category:Belarusian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Belarusian prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Candidates in the 2010 Belarusian presidential election]]
[[Category:People from Slutsk District]]
[[Category:People from Slutsk District]]
[[Category:Political prisoners according to Viasna Human Rights Centre]]
[[Category:Soviet Army officers]]
[[Category:Soviet Army officers]]
[[Category:Belarusian military personnel]]
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[[Category:1956 births]]

Revision as of 23:19, 26 December 2022

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Viktaravich and the family name is Statkevich.

Mikola Statkevich
Мікола Статкевіч
Born (1956-08-12) 12 August 1956 (age 68)
Liadna, near Slutsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus)
NationalityBelarusian
Known forPolitical activism

Mikola (Mikalai) Viktaravich Statkevich (Template:Lang-be, Template:Lang-ru; born 12 August 1956) is a Belarusian politician and presidential candidate at the 2010 election. Since 31 May 2020 he is held in prison by Belarusian authorities. Viasna Human Rights Centre recognized him as a political prisoner.[1] On 14 December 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison.[2]

Biography

Mikola Statkevich was born in Liadna near Slutsk into a family of school teachers. He is a descendant of the Statkiewicz noble family.

Statkevich graduated from a military engineering school in Minsk and served in the Soviet antiaircraft defense in the Arctic region.

In the early 1990s, Statkevich was one of the leaders of the Belarusian Militarymen Association, a pro-independence union of Soviet officers from Belarus.[3] In 1991 Statkevich has left the Communist Party of the USSR as a protest against a brutal Soviet military action against the democratic pro-independence opposition in Lithuania.[4]

In 1993 Statkevich was actively protesting against Belarus joining a collective defence treaty with Azerbaijan and Armenia that were at war at a time, to prevent Belarusian soldiers serving in military conflicts outside the country. For this Statkevich has been dismissed from the army shortly before the scheduled presentation of his Doctor of Science dissertation.[3] He then became one of the leaders of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (People's Assembly), including the party's chairman since 1995.[4]

Statkevich was one of the leaders of the 1999 Freedom March against the Union State.

In 2005 Statkevich was sentenced to three years of labour for organising mass protests against the 2004 referendum in Belarus that has lifted the constitutional limit on presidential terms and allowed president Aliaksandr Lukashenka to again participate in presidential elections. Amnesty International declared Mikola Statkevich a prisoner of conscience. He was then set free in 2007 following an amnesty.[3]

Statkevich was one of many democratic candidates who ran in the 2010 Belarusian presidential election. After a crackdown on opposition demonstrations, he was arrested and put in prison. On 26 May 2011, he was sentenced to 6 years in a medium security penal colony.[5] Amnesty International reported in July 2012 that Statkevich had been moved to a "punishment cell" after refusing to sign a confession.[6] He was later released from imprisonment but disappeared in early 2017 after announcing a planned demonstration in central Minsk. He was again released by authorities after they violently suppressed the rally.[7]

On 31 May 2020, he was arrested on his way to a rally where signatures for Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya were being gathered. He was sentenced to 15 days for participating in an unsanctioned protest.[8] This sentence was extended two more times, and he was tried again on 29 June for organizing unrest.[9] Viasna Human Rights Centre called the accusations politically motivated and demanded the immediate release of Statkevich.[1]

On 14 December 2021, Statkevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison. Along with him, Ihar Losik, Sergei Tikhanovsky and three other political prisoners were also sentenced. Throughout the 565 days he has spent in detention, Statkevich was not allowed to get access to legal representation or defence and he has been denied all contact with his family.[2]

Awards and recognitions

In December 2020, Statkevich was named among the representatives of the Democratic Belarusian opposition, honored with the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament.[10]

References

  1. ^ a b "Viasna condemns persecution of opposition leader Statkevich as politically motivated". Viasna Human Rights Centre. 30 June 2020. Retrieved 6 March 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mikalai Statkevich sentenced to 14 years". Socialist International. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Мікола Статкевіч: У 2011 годзе ў апазіцыі можа быць апошні шанец" (in Belarusian). nn.by. 23 February 2010. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Мікола Статкевіч (біяграфія)" (in Belarusian). svaboda.org. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  5. ^ "Statkevich sentenced to 6, Uss to 5.5 years in prison". Charter 97. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  6. ^ "Belarusian prisoner faces punishment cell". Amnesty International. 9 July 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  7. ^ "Missing Belarusian Opposition Leader Freed After Three-Day Detention". Radio Free Europe. 27 March 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Белорусского оппозиционера Статкевича арестовали на 15 суток".
  9. ^ https://news.tut.by/economics/690840.html [dead link‍]
  10. ^ "Belarusian opposition receives 2020 Sakharov Prize". European Parliament. 16 December 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
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