Andrei Sannikov

Andrei Olegovich Sannikov (or Andrei Alehavich Sannikau, , , born 8 March 1954) is a Belarusian politician and activist. In the early 1990s, he headed the Belarusian delegation on Nuclear and Conventional Weapons Armament Negotiations, Amnesty International labeled him a prisoner of conscience. Since 2012 he has lived in London, where he received political asylum.

Early life, education Andrei Sannikov was born on 8 March 1954 in the city of Minsk.

Diplomatic career

Work at UN Secretariat Sannikov then went to work at the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, The referendum severely limited democratic standards and the separation of powers in Belarus, and changed the Belarus constitution to extend Lukashenko's presidential term. According to the Belarus Speaker of Parliament, 20 to 50 percent of the counted votes were falsified.

As independent politician, activist

Charter 97 In November 1997, Sannikov co-founded the civil initiative Charter 97, becoming its international coordinator. When the mass protests after the presidential election in 2006 were violently suppressed by riot police, Sannikov stated he was beaten and jailed, and his computers, disks, and memory sticks were seized. According to Amnesty International, as of 18 May, he was being held incommunicado and was at "serious risk of torture and other ill-treatment".

Release Sannikov was pardoned by President Lukashenko and released on 14 April 2012. Irina Khalip couldn't leave the country because of her suspended prison sentence. From exile in London, Only in 2013 Khalip was allowed a visit in UK to meet her husband. Sannikov has continued to advocate for freedom in Belarus and has said in interviews that the democratic world is becoming "too complacent" towards his country and that Belarus poses a threat to international security.

Andrei criticized the 2015 Belarusian presidential election in an interview with Radio France Internationale as a sham, arguing that nothing has changed since the previous election. Andrei made similar comments following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, praising opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced into exile by the authorities.

Personal life Andrei Sannikov has two sons. His wife, Belarusian journalist Iryna Khalip, was dubbed a "Hero of Europe" by Time in 2005 and was awarded the 2009 Courage in Journalism Award from the International Women's Media Foundation.

During the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, he was still residing in Warsaw.