November 12, Pozirk. Western diplomats accredited in Belarus have signed a joint statement, urging the authorities to release all political prisoners immediately and unconditionally.
The appeal has been timed to coincide with the fourth anniversary of peaceful activist Raman Bandarenka’s death in custody following a severe beating by those who arrested him. The activist’s death sparked a massive public outcry and protests across the country.
“Seven political prisoners have died in Belarusian detention since 2020. Too many lives have been cut short. We remember these victims,” reads the statement signed by embassies of Austria, Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Bandarenka’s death has not been investigated and no charges have been brought against those responsible for it.
Video footage and the recordings of phone conversations, published by the Cyberpartisans hacktivist group in August 2022, implicated Natalla Ejsmant, Alaksandar Łukašenka’s spokeswoman; Dźmitryj Baskaŭ, a member of the Council of the Republic; and Dźmitryj Šakuta, a professional kickboxer, in the assault.
Since then, at least seven designated political prisoners died behind bars in Belarus: Vitold Ašurak, Mikałaj Klimovič, Aleś Puškin, Vadzim Chraśko, Ihar Lednik, Alaksandar Kulinič and Dmitry Shletgauer.
“Violence is the method the regime and its accomplices use today” to hold on to power, said Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja in her appeal on the anniversary.
The Belarusian opposition leader took part in a rally in downtown Vilnius on November 10 to pay tribute to Bandarenka.
As of November 12, human rights defenders identified at least 1,279 political prisoners but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.
