"Belarusian former presidential candidate Mikalay Statkevich, who has been imprisoned for over 10 years, was released to his home in Minsk after having a stroke in prison, according to his family. "Dear friends! Mikalay is home! He had a stroke. He is now recovering. For now, he is having problems with speech. Otherwise, everything is fine. Everything will be OK," Statkevich's wife, Marina Adamovich, said on Facebook on February 19."
"One of the most biggest opponents to Belarus's longtime strongman leader, Aleksandr Lukashenko, Statkevich was among a group of Belarusians freed in a major release of 52 political prisoners in September 11, 2025. Ihar Losik, a former reporter with RFE/RL's Belarus Service, and Alena Tsimashchuk, who had been a journalist fellow at RFE/RL's headquarters in Prague, were also freed on that day."
Mikalay Statkevich, a former Belarusian presidential candidate imprisoned for over ten years, was released to his Minsk home after suffering a stroke while in custody. His wife, Marina Adamovich, said he is recovering but currently has speech problems. Statkevich had been among 52 political prisoners freed on September 11, 2025, but he refused to leave Belarus when others were deported. A surveillance photo showed him sitting between Lithuanian and Belarusian borders, becoming an opposition symbol. Diplomatic efforts had urged him to leave. President Aleksandr Lukashenko later confirmed his arrest on September 17, 2025. Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya welcomed his return.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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