According to one EU official, Khilo is expected to stand trial on Dec. 23, while a second official said he faces a sentence of between four and 12 years.
“We urge the Belarusian authorities to release him immediately and unconditionally” Anitta Hipper, EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, told POLITICO. “We have been raising his case with Belarus at all our contacts with them.”
Local officials working for the EEAS are already in the spotlight after POLITICO reported on European Commission plans to cut embassies around the world to make way for “regional hubs.” The strategy implies that some 800 local officers risk being abandoned, as they can scarcely be relocated.
Speaking to EEAS staffers after her appointment, EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas complained that she had “learned about this [staffing policy] from the media, as you all did,” and promised to look into the matter.
Viasna claims that some 1,300 people in Belarus can be considered political prisoners. “Mikalai is a trusted member of the delegation and an excellent colleague” Hipper said.
“He continues to be employed by the EU. The EU delegation has been in regular contact with his family and his lawyer and follows the case closely.”