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Born on 8 March 1954 in Minsk. Studied at School #42, then in Minsk State Institute of Foreign Languages. In 1989, Sannikov graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Moscow. Andrei is Fluent in four foreign languages.Andrei worked in the Foreign Countries Friendship Society, then in the UN secretariat in New York. In 1993-1995 he was advisor at Belarus’ mission to Switzerland. In 1995-1996 he served as deputy Minister of foreign affairs of Belarus. In November 1996, on the eve of the controversial referendum that has severely limited democratic standards and the separation of powers in Belarus, Andrei resigned from his post as a sign of protest.
In November 1997 Andrei was one of the initiators of the civil initiative Charter’97 and became its international coordinator. In 1998 he created the Coordinating council of democratic forces of Belarus together with Henadz Karpenka. Andrei has organized numerous peaceful protests in Minsk, being repeatedly arrested, harassed and beaten. He was awarded the Bruno Kreisky International Award for human rights protection activities (2005). In 2008 Andrei founded the civil campaign European Belarus. The campaign declared its aim to be Belarus’ inclusion in the European Union. Andrei ran as a Presidential candidate in 2010. According to most independent surveys, he was one of the leading candidates in that race. Andrei was badly beaten during the violent dispersal of the 19 December rally and together with his wife Iryna Khalip was subjected to a violent arrest on their way to hospital. Iryna now lives under house arrest with their four year old son. On 14 May Andrei Sannikau was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment in a high-security colony. |
