Eyewitnesses of the incident told the media that Statkevich was in the neutral zone for some time at the Kamenny Log checkpoint, but did not cross the border with Lithuania.
The party’s associate of Statkevich Yevgeny Vilsky told the Mirror that he tried to persuade the policy to go to the Lithuanian side. However, he was adamant and stated that “he himself would decide his fate.” According to Vilsky, American diplomats, and some woman tried to influence his decision. ” But the opposition refused to leave the country, saying that Alexander Lukashenko, who calls himself the president of Belarus, “does not decide his fate.” He emphasized that he would be where he wants, and that he wanted to sneeze “on the collective farm leader.”
After it became completely clear that Statkevich would not change his decision, he was taken out in an unknown direction in masks who were nearby all the time, Willy informed.
“Our Niva” also wrote that the Belarusian propagandists began to disseminate information that Statkevich allegedly had already “shouted to Lithuania.” But eyewitnesses refute this, repeating the words of Vilsky. That with Statkevich is unknown now.
However, it is known that in addition to him, the liberated activist of the European Belarus movement Maxim Vinyarsky, philosopher and methodologist Vladimir Matskievich and trade union activist Gennady Fedynich also refused to leave the country. This was reported by the Belarusian “Euroradio” and “Belsat”. Politicians called the liberation from prison with the subsequent expulsion from the country with a deportation that under Art. 7 Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court is a crime against humanity. Although Belarus did not sign the Roman Statute, Lithuania joined him, where the former convicts wanted to transport. As a result, everyone except Statkevich was deported, noted by the media.
Statkevich, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2020, and more than fifty other political prisoners Belarus released on September 11. Opposition figures, journalists and protesters were released. In total, 14 foreign citizens pardoned. Of these, six are citizens of Lithuania, two – Latvia, Poland and Germany, one from France and one from the UK.
Context
As of August 23, 2025 in Belarus, 1197 people recognized political prisoners, a human rights organization wrote “Spring”. Earlier, in May 2024, UN Committee against torture reported that in Belarus is systematically applied to detainees and prisoners.
US President Donald Trump before meeting with the illegitimate President of Russia Vladimir Putin on August 15 I talked on the phone with Lukashenko, who calls himself the president of Belarus. According to the head of the White House, the purpose of the call was to “thank” Lukashenko for the release of 16 prisoners. “We also discuss the release of another 1.3 thousand prisoners,” Trump added.
