Godparenthood for Mikola Statkevich

Franz Thönnes, a member of the German Bundestag from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) parliamentary group and a member of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, takes over a prisoner’s godparenthood for Mikola Statkevich.

The campaign on prisoners godparenthood was initiated by the human rights organization Liberico, based in Bonn. Its objective is to provide moral and political support from German MPs to each political prisoner and their family in Belarus.
 
As the German Social Democrat states he has great respect for Mikola Statkevich for running for presidency and taking part in the action of protest against rigged elections.
Thönnes also mentioned that despite the extended sentence requested for Mikola Statkevich he keeps fighting for democracy even from the courtroom.
 
Through adopting a political prisoner from Belarus, the German politician according to his words, wants to show that the Belarusian leader cannot hope that “his pressure on democratic movement in the country will stay unnoticed”, as the international community is closely following the events in Belarus.
Franz Thönnes will fight for immediate release of the political prisoner. At the beginning of May another member of the German Bundestag, a social democrat Christoph Strässe announced his adoption of Aliaksandr Atroshchankau.

Earlier Marieluise Beck, Spokeswoman for Eastern Europe of the German Green parliamentary group took over a prisoner’s godparenthood for Andrei Sannikov. And Marek Migalski, a substitute to the European Parliament’s Delegation for relations with Belarus adopted Dzmitry Bandarenka.