Zmitser Bandarenka nominated for Sakharov prize
The coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign, Zmitser Bandarenka, has been nominated for one of the world’s most prestigious human rights prizes, the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The candidature of the political prisoner was proposed by Polish member of Parliament Marek Migalski.
The Sakharov Prize was established in 1988 when the academician was alive. The award is given annually for “activity in the sector of human rights and liberties, respect for international legislation and promoting democracy”.
Nominees for the Sakharov Prize are proposed by groups of the European Parliament and groups of parliamentary members, who are to collect at least 40 signatures to support their candidate.
Anatoly Marchenko, who died in a Soviet prison in 1986, was the first person to receive the award on the initiative of Sakharov. Then Nelson Mandela was awarded. Among the recent prize winners are Chinese dissident Hu Jia, who was not able to attend the awarding ceremony because he was in prison, and Memorial, a Russian society.
Zmitser Bandarenka is a well-known Belarusian oppositionist and human rights activist. In 1995-1996, he works for independent radio station Radio 101.2 FM, which was closed by the authorities. He is among the founders of Charter’97 initiative and a coordinator of European Belarus civil campaign. Zmitser was an election agent of presidential candidate Andrei Sannikau in the 2010 elections. Bandarenka was arrested on December 20 after a big demonstration in Minsk against the fraudulent presidential elections. On April 27, he was sentenced to two years in a penal colony.
The human rights activist underwent a serious spinal surgery in prison. He was not permitted to have a rehabilitation course and was transferred to a penal colony on a stretcher. There’s high probability that Bandarenka may be disabled for the rest of his life without medical care in prison. He refuses to apply for a pardon to illegitimate head of state Lukashenka.
