Both Ours Mikolas

They will survive and come back.

Numbers, damn numbers. Round dates, square, diamond-shaped and parallelepipedic – we are always at the mercy of numbers. Every day is a date. Sometimes unimportant, sometimes of world significance, sometimes scary. We are shackled by numbers, like chains. They do not allow you to forget about what is happening with our heroes, even when you really want to disconnect from everything for a day and imagine that everything is good and carefree.

Yesterday, another monstrous number hit the hammer: 700 days of complete isolation of Mikalai Statkevich. 700 days. Another month – and it will be exactly two years, 730 days. Two years of no connection to the world. And the day before the terrible round date, January 7, is the birthday of another Mikalai. Autukhovich. This is his fifth birthday in prison in his current prison term and the thirteenth prison term in his entire life. That is, in total, Autukhovich has already spent thirteen years behind bars. Statkevich – more than ten.

I remember well when I saw Mikalai Statkevich for the first time in my life. It was the spring of 1995, and Lukashenka was preparing for his first referendum. In March, a letter signed by a certain Zdzislau Valnerowich from the Hrodna region and addressed to Lukashenka appeared in Narodnaia Hazeta, which was then a parliamentary publication. The author warned: if you, Lukashenka, hold a referendum, then you will have to "step over my blood, through the blood of hundreds, thousands, millions of people like me."

Lukashenka got crazy. He called the letter "a fake made for dollars" and instructed the security forces to find the author. At the same time, he signed a decree dismissing the newspaper's Editor-in-Chief, Iosif Seredzich. The security forces were seeking – but they found nothing. It was reported that the citizen Valnerovich does not live in the Hrodna region. A few days later, Iosif Seredzich held a press conference and introduced the author of that letter to journalists. Zdzislau Valnerowich was a pen-name. The author's name was Regina Zimnitskaia, she was a young physical education teacher. When she realized what reaction the publication caused, she found out Seredzich's home address and just came to his house. She wanted to apologize that because of her the editor-in-chief lost his job, but he suggested holding a press conference together.

The situation was extremely dangerous for Regina. All the law enforcement agencies were looking for some Valnerovich and did not even think that it could be a pen name. The young woman accidentally made the security forces look like idiots – and this is in addition to enraging Lukashenka. And suddenly, during a press conference, a young handsome man with an officer's dress rose to the rostrum and said: "My name is Mikalai Statkevich, I am from BZV [Belarusian Military Association - Ed.], and we, the officers, are ready to provide security for both Regina Zimnitskaia and Iosif Seredzich." Even then, all those present at the press conference realized that before us was an extraordinary personality and future leader.

We met Mikalai Autukhovich between his first and second conviction terms. I remember that we walked around Minsk, and Mikalai said: "You are all busy with something strange. We need to do things differently. Your appeals, articles, rallies will teach them nothing." And how, I asked, do you think they can be taught? Autukhovich, with his characteristic military directness, said: "That's very simple. Remember when the riot police officer punched Sviatlana Zavadskaia in her face? The denied to open a criminal case agains him. So, the task of Belarusians is to find that riot police officer and clearly explain to him that women cannot be beaten. Explain in a simple way once or twice or three – and they will all understand, and they will think before lifting the baton. It is up to us to establish the rule of law in our country.”

Then he just freed himself after serving three years. Very soon he was arrested again and imprisoned for five years. Now it's twenty-five. During each detention, Mikalai continued to resist the only way available to the prisoner – hunger strikes. His record was 94 days. I don't know how he survived then. But I know that he will survive now.

Two Mikalais. Both Ours Mikolas Both are an example of what a serviceman of the Belarusian army should be: honest, brave, fair. Two desperate warriors – with different views, different methods of resistance, different ways of fighting. They are completely different, but similar in the main thing: both Mikolas sacrificed and continue to sacrifice themselves, not being tempted by comfort, well-being, portfolios of non-existent offices and fluffy skins of unkilled bears. They sacrifice themselves solely for the sake of our freedom and our country. For you and me.

Iryna Khalip, especially for Charter97.org

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