Because of dealing with opposition figures
Steinmeier makes a clear announcement to Lukashenko
08/23/2023 10:56 am
The regime in Belarus takes rigorous action against members of the opposition, and many end up in prison. Federal President Steinmeier blames the ruler Lukashenko. Accordingly, he does not skimp on criticism of him.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has held the Belarusian ruler Alexander Lukashenko personally responsible for the opposition members who have disappeared in his country’s custody. People like the opposition leader Maria Kolesnikova or the lawyer Maxim Snak and many others are in prison “just because they called for justice and freedom and democracy,” according to a speech Steinmeier plans to give at an event in Bellevue Palace.
“We know that the prison conditions have been getting worse and more brutal for months, that the prisoners are not receiving adequate medical care, that they no longer have access to legal advice and that many have not seen a familiar face for months,” says Steinmeier. He wanted to send a clear message to ruler Lukashenko: “Your regime is responsible for the lives of these people. We don’t look the other way. We don’t forget Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Snak and all the others!”
Long prison sentences for opposition figures
Kolesnikova was among the leaders of the 2020 nationwide protests against the presidential election, which was believed to be rigged. She was arrested on September 7, 2020 and sentenced a year later to 11 years in prison for conspiracy to subvert. Snak received a ten-year prison sentence.
In the meantime, Kolesnikova fell seriously ill while in custody. Last year she was awarded the Aachen Charlemagne Prize for her commitment to democracy, freedom and the rule of law, together with the civil rights activists Swetlana Tichanowskaja and Veronika Zepkalo. Human rights activists accuse Lukashenko of crimes against humanity. There are repeated reports of mistreatment of prisoners and their disappearance.