BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/12/2006

Belarus leader turns down EU award cash

minsk  Belarus's opposition leader has turned down a cash prize linked to a human rights award and asked the European Union to use the money to help his compatriots resist President Alexander Lukashenko.

Alexander Milinkevich, who finished second to Lukashenko in a March election denounced in the West as rigged, was presented on Tuesday with the EU's Sakharov Prize, worth 50,000 euros ($66,000).

He told applauding deputies in the European parliament that the prize was intended for "all those who continue fighting for freedom". Belarussian tax authorities immediately said he would be liable to pay taxes of about 14,000 euros on the award.

Yesterday a statement issued by Milinkevich's press service asked the EU to use the money to help Belarussian citizens who suffered oppression by the authorities.

"This prize is for those Belarussians who, during the presidential election, went into the street to defend freedom and democracy, ignoring intimidation by the authorities," it quoted Milinkevich as saying. "I have no right to take a single euro of this prize."

The election result sparked unprecedented protests, broken up by police after four days. More than 600 people were sentenced to up to 15 days in prison for public order offences.

Source:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=World_News&subsection=Rest+of+the+World&month=December2006&file=World_News2006121445023.xml

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