April 3, Pozirk. Alaksandar Łukašenka has lashed out at his opponent Mikałaj Statkievič, recently released from prison after suffering a stroke, accusing the man of plotting to overthrow the government and assassinate him.
The Belarusian ruler made these claims at the opening of a new outpatient clinic in Minsk today, according to a video posted by Pul Pervogo, a Telegram channel linked to his press office.
Łukašenka mentioned Statkievič while praising Belarusian healthcare. He noted that Statkievič was treated at the national surgery center in Minsk after his stroke, while omitting his lengthy prison term and ill-treatment that could have caused this condition. “They saved the man who blew up [the country], who wanted to turn the country upside down and assassinate the president,” he claimed.
As a matter of fact, the opposition politician was arrested months before the 2020 presidential election and then sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of organizing mass unrest, although large-scale protests broke out two months later. His persecution was widely seen as politically motivated.
Statkievič was among dozens of those pardoned in September 2025 as part of Łukašenka’s deal with Washington. All freed people were taken to Lithuania, except for Statkievič, who refused to leave Belarus and remained at the Belarusian-Lithuanian border crossing for several hours, as confirmed by CCTV footage.
In November 2025, the interior ministry informed his family members that he was taken back to prison to serve his original 14-year sentence.
Prison authorities stopped giving him necessary medications, replacing them with ineffective alternatives, Statkievič reportedly told his wife, commenting on the recent months behind bars. He was liberated in February 2026 after suffering a stroke in prison and is currently recovering at home.
Statkievič’s recent Freedom Day video message to Belarusians showed the physical effects of his recent stroke, including speech difficulties and facial asymmetry.
