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European Parliament president calls for release of ailing politician Dzmitry Bandarenka

The president of the European Parliament has called on the Belarusian authorities to release ailing opposition politician Dzmitry Bandarenka.

Speaking in an interview with Polish Radio on July 24, Jerzy Buzek accused the Belarusian authorities of treating the imprisoned activist in a "disgusting and inhuman" manner. Noting that Mr. Bandarenka needed proper medical advice and treatment, the EU politician warned that his further stay in prison would only aggravate his health problems and could leave him permanently disabled.

According to the European Parliament president, Mr. Bandarenka has fought for "freedom, democracy and a better future for all Belarusians." "Their attitude requires the highest degree of recognition and resolute support. The European Parliament has been on the side of the Belarusians and supported their democratic aspirations for many years. The Belarusians have deserved to have their homeland join free and democratic European countries in the future," Mr. Buzek said.

Mr. Bandarenka is scheduled to undergo back surgery at Minsk City Clinical Hospital No. 5 on July 26 amid serious concerns among his relatives, friends and associates that he will be denied a proper rehabilitation course.

The politician has been held at the National Prison Hospital since June. His right leg is partially paralyzed and he is said to be in constant pain because of four herniated interverbral discs and three trapped spinal nerves.

In a statement issued on July 24, the European Belarus group with which Mr. Bandarenka is affiliated said that the man had been forced to give his written consent to the proposed treatment.
He was told that he had only two options: he would be either operated on or transferred to a prison to serve his sentence; a consultation with a non-staff neurologist was denied to him, the associates said.

On April 27, a district judge in Minsk sentenced Mr. Bandarenka, a former campaign aide to presidential candidate Andrey Sannikaw, to two years in a low-security prison, finding him guilty of organizing disturbances and participating in them in connection with a post-election protest staged in Minsk on December 19, 2010.

In late May, the wife said with reference to a neurologist who had examined Mr. Bandarenka that he might end up in a wheelchair unless he got back surgery. //BelaPAN