Belarus is often described as “Europe’s Last Dictatorship”; it has, after all, been led by Aleksandr Lukashenka’s iron fist since 1994. In his book My Story: Belarusian Amerikanka or Elections Under Dictatorship, Andrei Sannikov, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Belarus, describes his activities fighting for a democratic and free Belarus, and the lengths Belarus’ authorities have gone to in order to stop him. In 2010, Sannikov ran a prominent campaign against Lukashenka in the presidential election, only to be arrested for participating in a peaceful protest against perceived electoral fraud. He would remain in jail for 16 months, during which time Sannikov recounts being subjected to torture, before his release in 2012. After being forced to flee Belarus, Sannikov has become a key in opposition politics throughout the Former Soviet Union.
The Henry Jackson Society is pleased to invite you to an event with Andrei Sannikov who will be discussing his recent book release My Story: Belarusian Amerikanka or Elections Under Dictatorship, which documents Andrei’s journey from the top echelons of political power to the pro-democracy opposition movement, revisiting his prominent campaign as a presidential candidate and his experiences after finding himself behind bars on the day the election results were announced.
TIME: 13:00 – 14:00, Thursday 7th April 2016
VENUE: The Henry Jackson Society, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
SPEAKER: Andrei Sannikov, Former Belarusian Presidential Candidate and Political Prisoner
To attend please RSVP to: rsvp@henryjacksonsociety.org
