The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland notes with great concern reports that Viktar Babaryka, a would-be candidate in the 2020 presidential elections and currently a political prisoner sentenced to 14 years in prison, has been hospitalised. This is yet another recent signal of ill-treatment meted out to Belarusian prisoners of conscience, whose numbers have reached nearly 1,500 persons according to the country’s official estimates alone. For months, it has been impossible to contact many imprisoned representatives of Belarusian civil society.

The responsibility for the life and health of those unjustly detained lies entirely with the authorities in Minsk. We expect that families be immediately allowed regular contact with their loved ones kept in prisons and that their fundamental rights be respected. We call for the release of all political prisoners, including Andrzej Poczobut, a representative of the Polish minority in Belarus.

 

Łukasz Jasina
MFA Spokesperson