Andrei Sannikov

Andrei Sannikov (White Russian Андрэй Алегавіч Саннікаў; Russian Андрей Олегович Санников / Andrei Sannikov Olegovich, born March 8, 1954 in Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union) is a Belarusian diplomat and opposition. He went up to the presidential elections on December 19, 2010 against the election winner and incumbent Alexander Lukashenko. Sannikov is married to journalist Iryna Khalip.

Arrest

According to Amnesty International, Sannikov was arrested on the evening of December 19, 2010, when he, in Minsk took part in a demonstration in which there was violence against the electoral victory of Lukashenko. With the arrest he was allegedly injured by security forces heavily on both legs.

According to the same source, his lawyer Andrei Sannikov was able to visit the next day in prison. The state Sannikaus was his statement after been " terrifying ". Sannikov show signs of brain injury and fresh injuries that he had not yet had eyewitness information on his arrest. This put to the conclusion that Sannikov had been mistreated or tortured in police custody. Amnesty International led then by Urgent Action to protect the Belarusian opposition politicians by the public's attention from further abuse.

In May 2011, Sannikov was sentenced to five years imprisonment for " organizing mass disorder ". In mid-April 2012, he was released from prison.

Awards

• 2005: Bruno Kreisky Award for Services to Human Rights " for his work in the context of Charter 97, a citizens' initiative and civil rights organization in Minsk ."