Andre Bandarenko is a Belarusian businessman and politician, member of the Belarusian United Civic Party and an alumnus of the East European School of Political Studies in 2009. In 2008, he participated in the Parliamentary Elections as an independent candidate. After the parliamentary campaign, he tried to contest his results but was accused of economic crime in May 2009 and he was taken into custody.

Despite an obvious lack of evidence, the result of the first court hearing for Andre was a 7-year sentence to be spent at a medium-security prison and seizure of property. The second court hearing had not added any other evidence but the sentence was reduced of only one year. Andre kept on fighting to protect his honest name. The Supreme Court had agreed with the defense and the case went to Minsk City Court, yet for another trial. The outcome of the two-month hearings was that the court did not find any corpus delicti in the accused politician’s actions. After almost two years in prison Andre Bandarenko had been released right in the court room and immediately hugged his father, wife and his daughter aged 2.5 years.

Andre is expressing his gratitude to the Council of Europe and the East European School of Political Studies for the warmth and support which he has always felt while he was kept in the hard conditions of the Belarusian penitentiary system.

Photo by Galina Abakunchik