BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/07/2006

CzechRep criticises conviction of Belarussian opposition leader

Minsk/Prague- The Czech diplomacy has joined the EU criticism of the court verdict that sent Belarussian opposition leader Alyaksandr Kozulin, presidential candidate in this year's election, to prison, the Foreign Ministry said in its statement today.

Kozulin was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison on Thursday for organising protest rallies against the re-election of Alexandr Lukashenko as Belarussian president.

"This decision can be viewed as another step in the series of politically motivated repressions against opponents of the current Belarussian regime," the Czech Foreign Ministry says.

The ministry has thereby joined the international calls for Kozulin's immediate liberation.

The Civic Belarus international association, whose member former Czech president Vaclav Havel is, has also criticised Kozulin's conviction.

Critics of the Belarussian regime point out that the court verdict is a piece of evidence of human rights violation in Belarus.

The Belarussian government has dismissed the criticism.

Kozulin, 50, vice-chancellor of the Belorussian university, was one of the two main opposition reps who organised protests in Minsk after the manipulated presidential election in March when authoritarian president Lukashenko defended his post again.

Kozulin, who was detained at a demonstration on March 25, was charged with breach of the peace and incitement of mass unrest. He denies the charges.

Source:

http://www.ctk.cz/english/services/english/index_view.php?id=199383