Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Cohen Calls on Lu...

WASHINGTON-Today, U.S. Helsinki Commission Ranking Member Representative Steve Cohen (TN-09), OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners, called on Alyaksandr Lukashenka to provide proof of life for Mikalai Statkevich and release him immediately. Mr. Statkevich is a Belarusian politician and former presidential candidate who has been wrongfully detained as a political prisoner since 2020 and held incommunicado since February 10, 2023.

"Participating in the political process and organizing peaceful protests are crucial parts of any healthy democratic system, not crimes worthy of a lengthy jail sentence," Rep. Cohen said. "As a politician whose only goal is a freer, more democratic future for the Belarusian people, Mr. Statkevich does not deserve to suffer in prison without contact to the outside world while his family and loved ones worry about his condition. I call on Mr. Lukashenka to provide them with proof of life and to release Mr. Statkevich."

Representative Cohen has served as the OSCE PA Special Representative on Political Prisoners since July 2022. In this role, he has been an outspoken advocate for the release of unjustly detained political prisoners throughout the OSCE region. Other Belarusian political prisoners being held incommunicado include musician and politician Maria Kalesnikava, former presidential candidates Siarhei Tsikhanouski and Viktar Babaryka, RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik, and lawyer Maksim Znak.

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