Andrey Sannikov: the fate of the ex-candidate for the presidency of Belarus

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:42

The name of Andrei Olegovich Sannikov became known to the general public in 2010, when he ran for the presidency of Belarus. In 201-m1, the politician was accused of organizing mass riots, recognized as a traitor to the Motherland and sentenced to five years in prison. What preceded this and how the fate of the ex-presidential candidate developed in the future, we will tell in the article.

Biography

Andrey Sannikov was born on 1954-08-03 in the Belarusian capital. His grandfather was a well-known artist in the republic, director and founder of the Academic Theater. I. Kupala. As a child, Andrei went to his grandfather's performances to listen to Belarusian speech, since everyone in the family spoke Russian.

In 1971, Sannikov graduated from one of the Minsk schools with a gold medal. Then he entered the Institute of Foreign Languages at the Faculty of Translation. In 1977, after receiving his diploma, he worked for some time at the Minsk Electrotechnical Plant.

Work abroad

In the 1980s. Andrei Sannikov lived in Egypt, where he built an aluminum plant, and in Pakistan, where he was an employee of the oilfirms. Then he worked in the Belarusian Society for Cultural Relations and Friendship with Foreign States. In parallel with this, he studied at the courses of translators at the UN.

In 1982-1987. Andrei Olegovich was in New York, where he was the Soviet representative in the UN Secretariat and led the Russian Book Club.

In 1987, Sannikov came to Moscow to study at the Diplomatic Academy of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1989 he graduated with honors.

Political career

After graduating from the Academy, Andrei Sannikov was offered a job in the Soviet Foreign Ministry, but he decided to return to the Byelorussian SSR. In 1993-1995 served as an adviser to the Swiss representation of the Republic and at the same time was the head of the Belarusian delegation at the talks on nuclear disarmament. Then the politician had the right to sign documents on behalf of the country.

In 1995 Andrei Sannikov was appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. In 1996, disagreeing with the draft constitution proposed by A. Lukashenko, which significantly expanded the powers of the president of the country, he resigned and joined the organizing committee of the Charter 97 civil initiative. The objectives of this organization were to unite the Belarusian democratic forces and intensify public actions to protect the rights of citizens of Belarus. Members of the "Charter" organized rallies, pickets and other actions, and Andrei Sannikov coordinated the international programs of the organizing committee.

Community activities

In 1998-2002 the politician worked as the rector of the People's University. During the same period, together withG. Karpenko created the Coordinating Rada of Democratic Forces, which aims to unite the opposition.

In the 2000s. Andrei Sannikov was among the organizers of the protest marches “You can't live like this!”, “Let's crush the fascist reptile!”, “For a better life” and actions against electoral fraud.

In 2008, a public figure initiated a civil campaign "European Belarus", the purpose of which was the country's accession to the EU. Along with him, Mikalai Statkevich, Viktor Ivashkevich, Mikhail Marynich and a number of other Belarusian politicians were campaigners.

Presidential Candidate

Andrei Sannikov in the spring of 2010 announced his intention to run for the post of head of the Republic of Belarus. In autumn, the Central Electoral Commission registered him as a candidate. In preparation for the vote, Andrey Olegovich teamed up with another oppositionist, V. Neklyaev. Together, they demanded that the elections be declared illegal based on the results of the preliminary voting, citing the fact that the candidates were practically removed from the media.

According to the official election results, Sannikov took second place, gaining 2.6 percent of the vote, while 79.9 percent of voters voted for A. Lukashenko.

19.12.2010 after the announcement of the results, a protest rally was held in Minsk, which gathered several thousand people. During it, Andrei Olegovich was detained. His wife, journalist Irina Khalip, was also arrested.

Sentence

Politician charged with organizationriots and in May 2011 was sentenced to five years in prison. Irina Khalip was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended for two years.

Such actions of Belarusian justice officials were negatively perceived by the European Parliament, and the EU Council of Ministers banned judges, prosecutors and police officers who were involved in the sentences from entering the EU. In addition, the arrest of Sannikov triggered a wave of public protests in Belarus and outside the country. Many famous musicians have appealed to the authorities demanding the release of the detainees.

Emigration

In April 2012, Lukashenka signed a decree pardoning Andrei Sannikov, and on the same day he was released from prison. A few months later, the politician left for the UK, where his sister lived. There Andrei Olegovich was granted political asylum.

The family of the ex-presidential candidate - wife Irina Khalip and five-year-old son Danil - remained in Belarus. The failed first lady subsequently had her sentence overturned. For some time she and her son were in Moscow, and then returned to Minsk.

Andrei Sannikov changed his residence permit and in recent years has been living in Poland, where he is engaged in literary activities: he writes and publishes books about his imprisonment, the 2010 presidential campaign and the essence of the Lukashenka regime.