Belarusian opposition leader Mikola Statkevich has been returned to prison after refusing to leave his homeland following a U.S.-mediated release, activists revealed on Tuesday. Statkevich, a former presidential candidate, had been among a group of political prisoners pardoned by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on September 11, following a request from U.S. President Donald Trump. Despite being transported to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border with other freed detainees, Statkevich, 69, rejected what he termed a ‘forced deportation,’ forcibly exiting the bus and lingering in the border’s no-man’s land for hours before being taken into custody by Belarusian police. The Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed to his wife, Maryna Adamovich, that he is now back in prison and ‘continues to serve his sentence.’ Statkevich was sentenced in 2021 for allegedly organizing mass unrest, a charge widely criticized by human rights groups as politically motivated. His current whereabouts remain undisclosed, and concerns over his health have intensified, given his history of a heart attack while incarcerated. Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer with the Viasna human rights organization, argued that Statkevich’s pardon should have ensured his freedom, labeling his re-imprisonment as ‘legal chaos.’ This incident underscores the ongoing repression in Belarus, which currently holds 1,246 political prisoners, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. Despite recent efforts by Lukashenko to mend ties with the West, including the release of 52 prisoners and the lifting of sanctions on Belarus’ national airline, Belavia, the situation highlights the regime’s enduring authoritarian grip.
Belarusian politician Mikola Statkevich returned to prison after refusing ‘forced deportation’
