Belarusian opposition politician Mikola Statkevich has been returned to prison after refusing a U.S.-brokered “forced deportation,” activists said Tuesday.
Statkevich, a former presidential candidate, had been freed on Sept. 11 under a pardon from President Alexander Lukashenko at the request of U.S. President Donald Trump. He was placed on a bus with other released prisoners to the Belarusian-Lithuanian border but refused to leave his country, describing the move as a “forced deportation.” He reportedly broke down the bus door and remained in the no-man’s land for hours before Belarusian police escorted him back.
Statkevich’s wife, Maryna Adamovich, confirmed that he was returned to prison and continues to serve his 2021 sentence for organizing mass unrest—a case human rights groups have described as politically motivated. Belarusian authorities have not disclosed his location or health status. Adamovich said she is particularly concerned for Statkevich, who suffered a heart attack in prison.
Pavel Sapelka, a lawyer with the Viasna human rights group, criticized the move as “legal chaos,” noting that Statkevich had been pardoned and should have been free. He highlighted the arbitrary treatment of political prisoners who are expelled or re-imprisoned without due process.
Lukashenko, in power for over 30 years, has sought to improve ties with the West, freeing a group of 52 mostly political prisoners earlier this year after discussions with Trump. Sanctions on Belarus’ national airline, Belavia, were subsequently lifted. Further Minsk-Washington talks are scheduled for December.
Statkevich has spent more than 12 years in prison during his political career and is among the 1,246 political prisoners currently detained in Belarus, according to Viasna, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski.
