“Amnesty International” has denounced the sentences on Sannikov, Khalip, Severnets and Martselev

"Amnesty International" has denounced the sentences passed on 14 and 16 May on those accused in a criminal case about the events of 19 December in Minsk.

The point at issue is the verdict on a candidate for the presidency in 2010, Andrei Sannikov, his wife the journalist Irina Khalip, Pavel Severinets (the campaign manager Vitalii Rymashevskii) and Sergei Martselev (the campaign manager Nikolai Statkevich) . The organization considers these people to be prisoners of conscience, “BelaPAN” writes.

“Andrei Sannikov and these other activists have been convicted solely for exercising their right to peaceful protest,” a representative of “Amnesty International”, John Dalhuisen, said.

The organization recalls that Sannikov made a statement during the court proceedings about his ill-treatment whilst in custody.

Those who have been convicted “must be released immediately and unconditionally,” Dalhuisen stressed. “Their imprisonment is yet another example of the Belarusian government’s relentless clampdown on any form of dissent,” he said.