Belarusian opposition figure Mikalai (Mikola) Statkevich has reportedly been returned to a penal colony days after declining to cross into Lithuania, following his release as part of a group of 52 prisoners on 11 September.
Independent outlet Nasha Niva was cited by several media reporting that the 69-year-old has been located in the Hlybokaye (Glubokoye) colony, where he had previously been held. Exiled opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya said on X that Statkevich had “been found” there. Prisoners released on 11 September were transported by bus to the Belarus–Lithuania border. Statkevich declined to leave Belarus; reports state he forced open the bus door and stepped out in the neutral zone between the two checkpoints.
The reported return to custody comes four days after the mass release, which Belarus linked to engagement with the United States. Washington simultaneously eased certain sanctions on the state airline Belavia. The sanction relief allows Belavia to access some aircraft services and components, while wider restrictions remain in place. Financial Times
The 52 individuals freed on 11 September included journalists, opposition activists and foreign nationals. The European Union confirmed that a Belarusian member of staff at the EU mission in Minsk, Mikalai Khilo, was among those released. Lithuanian officials also acknowledged receipt of the group at the border.
Statkevich, a former presidential candidate, has been a prominent figure in Belarusian politics for over a decade. He ran against Alexander Lukashenko in the 2010 election and, following demonstrations that year, was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to six years. He was released in 2015. He was arrested again in May 2020, ahead of that year’s election and subsequent protests, and in 2021 received a 14-year sentence in a special-regime facility on charges of organising mass unrest. Rights groups have long designated him a political prisoner. Media reports have noted extended periods of isolation during his latest term.
Multiple outlets reported that, unlike others released on 11 September, Statkevich was the only one who refused to leave Belarus. Opposition representatives have argued that release terms should not be conditioned on departure from the country. Authorities in Minsk have not publicly detailed the legal basis for returning him to the penal colony after his refusal to cross the border.
The prisoner release and related sanctions step formed part of a broader effort to adjust relations between Belarus and Western partners. Media and official statements indicated that the United States would consider further diplomatic steps, including work toward reopening its embassy in Minsk, which has been closed since 2008. However, international organisations and Belarusian human rights groups stated that a significant number of political detainees remain in custody and called for information on the circumstances of those released and those whose status is unclear.
Hlybokaye, in northern Belarus, has been referenced in previous reporting as the site of Statkevich’s incarceration since 2022. The facility is part of the country’s penal colony system, in which political defendants have received long sentences since the events surrounding the 2020 election. Domestic monitors have documented restrictions on access to lawyers and correspondence for a number of detainees, including Statkevich.
As of Tuesday, 16 September, Belarusian authorities had not issued a formal statement on Statkevich’s current legal status beyond the reports cited by independent and international media. Tsikhanouskaya called for his immediate release and for the right of released prisoners to remain in Belarus if they choose to do so.
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