BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/12/2006

Belarus: Opposition Leader Turns Down Prize Cash

By REUTERS

Belarus's main opposition leader, Aleksandr Milinkevich, picked up the Sakharov Prize, the European Union's top human rights honor, in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Mr. Milinkevich, who challenged the incumbent president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, in a widely criticized election in April and has been jailed for brief periods since March, declined the $66,000 check that comes with the award and told applauding deputies in the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the prize was intended for "all those who continue fighting for freedom." He asked the European Union to use the money to help his compatriots resist the authorities. The Belarussian tax authorities immediately said he would nevertheless be liable to pay taxes of $18,500 on the award.

Source:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/14/world/europe/14briefs-belarusprize.html