COPENHAGEN, 17 April 2012 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Petros Efthymiou today welcomed the release of prominent opposition leader and former presidential candidate Andrei Sannikov and his associate Dmitry Bondarenko.

"We are pleased that Andrei Sannikov has been amnestied, which comes as a great relief to his family, friends and colleagues. However, we remain concerned that the trials and convictions against him and dozens of other opposition and civil society representatives were unfair. We call for the release of all political prisoners, including former presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich and prominent human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, without preconditions, and the removal of all restrictions on the civil and political rights of dissidents in Belarus," said President Efthymiou.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has debated the human rights situation in Belarus on many occasions, including at its 2011 Annual Session, where a resolution was passed calling for democratic reforms, including release of political prisoners. Andrei Sannikov's sister, Iryna Bogdanova, gave a presentation at the OSCE PA's Winter Meeting on 23 February regarding her brother's plight.