39 Facts About Andrei Sannikov

Andrei Olegovich Sannikov is a Belarusian politician and activist.

Andrei Sannikov co-founded the civil action Charter 97, and was awarded the Bruno Kreisky Prize in 2005.

Andrei Sannikov was incarcerated in a Minsk KGB facility for peacefully protesting at a demonstration after the elections.

Andrei Sannikov was beaten by police, tortured, and held incommunicado for two months.

Andrei Sannikov was born on 8 March 1954 in the city of Minsk.

Andrei Sannikov's father was a well-known Belarusian art researcher while his mother was a teacher of the Russian language.

Andrei Sannikov's grandfather Konstantin Sannikov was a well-known actor and film director in the Byelorussian SSR, one of founders of the Janka Kupala National Theatre, and a teacher at the Belarusian Theater and Art Institute in Moscow.

Andrei Sannikov first attended school No 42 as a boy, and in 1977 he graduated from Minsk State Linguistic University.

Andrei Sannikov is fluent in his native Belarusian, Russian, English, and French.

Andrei Sannikov then went to work at the Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries, and in 1982 began serving as a translator at the UN Secretariat in New York City.

In 1989, Andrei Sannikov graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union in Moscow.

In 1992, Andrei Sannikov headed the Belarusian delegation on Nuclear and Conventional Weapons Armament Negotiations.

Andrei Sannikov had authority of signature in the matter on behalf of Belarus, an authority he retained until 1995.

In November 1996, on the eve of a controversial referendum, Andrei Sannikov resigned from his post in protest of Lukashenko's policies.

In November 1997, Andrei Sannikov was one of the co-founders of the civil initiative Charter 97, becoming its international coordinator.

In March 2010 Andrei Sannikov declared his intention on the TV channel Belsat to take part in Belarus presidential election of 2010 as a candidate.

Andrei Sannikov was considered one of the main opposition candidates along with Vladimir Nekliayev and Yaroslav Romanchuk.

In January 2007, Andrei Sannikov voiced disapproval of the natural gas supply contract Lukashenko signed with Russia.

In November 2010, Andrei Sannikov stated that the electoral process was rigged from the outset and that he had no likely chance of defeating Lukashenko.

Andrei Sannikov said his goal was to document the nation's flawed democracy and bring out opposition demonstrators.

Andrei Sannikov was director and co-founder of Charter97, which had become one of the few outlets for information on "opposition" candidates during the election.

Andrei Sannikov expressed suspicion of the "suicide", saying that Bebenin was in good mental health, and that no suicide note was found, among other factors.

On 18 November 2010, Andrei Sannikov was officially registered as a candidate.

On 29 November 2010, Andrei Sannikov organized a meeting at his alma mater Minsk State Linguistic University, and about 500 people took part.

On 15 December 2010, Andrei Sannikov logged two legal complaint applications to the Central Election Commission of Belarus, demanding they withdraw the registration of Aleksandr Lukashenko, and remove Lidiya Yermoshyna, the Chairperson of the Central Election Commission, from office.

Andrei Sannikov brought up that Lukashenko ignored his own guidelines on how much time presidential candidates were allowed to speak on television.

Andrei Sannikov was beaten on the head all over the body.

Andrei Sannikov was lying and trying to protect himself with his arms.

Later, on the way to the hospital to treat Andrei Sannikov's broken legs, their car was intercepted while Khalip was giving a telephone interview to the Moscow radio station Ekho Moskvy.

Andrei Sannikov was charged for igniting mass disorder which would entail 8 to 15 years in prison.

Andrei Sannikov was held incommunicado at an undisclosed location for two months.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus accused Andrei Sannikov of organizing a "mass riot, attended by violence against a person, violent attacks, destruction of property, and armed resistance to representatives of the authorities".

The German section of Amnesty International issued an "urgent action" alert, stating that they believed Andrei Sannikov to be facing torture and maltreatment while in custody.

Andrei Sannikov was pardoned by President Lukashenko and released on 14 April 2012.

Andrei Sannikov called on the Belarusian government to release the remainder of its political prisoners.

Andrei Sannikov reluctantly fled to the United Kingdom, which granted him political asylum in October 2012.

Andrei 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 Sannikov 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 Sannikov made similar comments following the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, praising opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who was forced into exile by the authorities.