Andrei Sannikau asks for political asylum in UK

The leader of European Belarus civic campaign, former presidential candidate and political prisoner claimed there was a threat of a rearrest.

“It was not an easy decision for me. But believe me I did not have any other choice. Either to go under tortures and humiliation in prison again, or to sit there silently meek and mild. I was and remain a Belarusian politician. I will keep communicating  the truth about their country and seek for concrete measure to be taken to help democratic Belarus. I believe that my decision will help release my wife and son, who are hostages of the Lukashenka regime”, - Andrei Sannikau said in an interview to charter97.org.

Andrei Sannikau – former presidential candidate in Belarus in 2010 elections, the leader of the European Belarus civic campaign, former deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. According to the estimation of independent observers, in the presidential elections he was a serious competition to Lukashenka and was making it to the second round. On the day of the election he was arrested together with his wife Iryna Khalip and accused of organizing the protest action against rigged elections, then sentenced to five years in prison. In KGB prison and later in penal colonies he underwent tortures. He was released in April 2012. After the first Sannikau press-conference after having been released Lukashenka publicly threatened the politician with a rearrest in the case he won’t be silent.