BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/07/2006

EU, OSCE Criticize Belarus For Jailing Opposition Leader

PRAGUE, July 14, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) today criticized the decision by a Belarusian court to jail an opposition leader, Alyaksandr Kazulin, to five and a half year for "hooliganism" and organizing and participating in antigovernment demonstrations earlier this year.

OSCE chairman-in-office, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, condemned the sentence, calling it "harsh" and said the he found "the entire handling of the alleged offenses... gravely disturbing."

De Gucht said he called for restraint by Belarus authorities but said "Belarus has basically ignored these calls."

The EU released a statement accusing Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka of using the country's law-enforcement apparatus to oppress his political opponents.

The statement said the court's decision "contradicts basic freedoms."

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/07/c61c4577-c0ff-429b-863e-a0d0374b72ac.html