Dmitrii Bondarenko, a coordinator of “European Belarus”, needs an operation urgently

An expert has finally examined the seriously ill political prisoner, after five months.

The wife of Dmitrii Bondarenko received a letter from her husband from the Volodarskii police detention centre of the Interior Ministry in Minsk. The coordinator of the civil campaign “European Belarus”, Dmitrii Bondarenko, has written that after a wait of five months, he has been examined at last by a neurologist concerning serious problems with his spine.

“I’ve just returned from a consultation with a doctor. She’s a neurologist – a very pleasant woman and gives the impression of being a professional. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has scored one further point for humanitarianism. They provided a consultation within one week. The Committee (KGB) for three months only gave promises. Things are not very good. I was told, ‘Of course, an operation is necessary, and for the moment the recommendation is to work on the foot.’ All the same, I am impressed by the professional medical attitude,” wrote Dmitrii Bondarenko.

Dmitrii Bondarenko has 4 herniated discs in his spine and three trapped spinal nerves. He urgently needs an operation, otherwise he could become immobile. All requests in the KGB jail to provide him with the specialized care of a neurologist led to nothing. “Dima’s foot is literally hanging there, and everything could end up with his being in a wheelchair,” said Olga Bondarenko after a recent meeting with her husband.