Belarusian Activist Escapes But Leaves Family On Belarusian-Polish Border

Belarusian opposition activist Alyaksandr Lukin has managed to escape arrest on the Belarusian-Polish border but had to leave his wife and children in Belarus, RFE/RL’s Belarus Service reports.

Lukin was a leading member of opposition presidential candidate Andrey Sannikau’s campaign staff in December. He and hundreds of other opposition activists were arrested at a mass protest in Minsk on December 19 and in the following days. Lukin was later sentenced to 15 days in jail. 

Lukin, his wife, and two children left Belarus for France in January. On May 4, they tried to return to Belarus via the Slavatychy checkpoint on the Belarusian-Polish border, but the attempt ended with Lukin running alone back into Poland.

Lukin’s wife, Alena, told RFE/RL that the Belarusian border guards took an inordinately long time to check their documents. That worried her husband and he started heading back toward the Polish side of the border.

The Belarusian border guards chased and eventually caught him just on the Polish side of the border.

Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/belarusian_activist_escapes_but_leaves_family_on_belarusian_border/24093097.html