BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
05/02/2008
Belarus court frees jailed opposition activist
REUTERS
MINSK - A court in Belarus ordered the release of an opposition activist on Tuesday after two Western ambassadors called for better ties with the ex-Soviet state which is preparing for an election, an opposition leader said.
The court in Molgilyov, eastern Belarus, freed Artur Finkevich, jailed for two years in 2006 for painting anti-presidential graffiti on the eve of an election which handed President Alexander Lukashenko a landslide victory and a third term.
Finkevich later received an additional 1-1/2 years for violating prison rules.
'The court reduced his sentence to six months and as he had already spent time in prison ... it ordered his release,' Pavel Severinets, a leading opposition figure present at the sitting, said by telephone.
'We have been told he has been informed of his release and is now gathering his things.'
The European Union and United States accuse Lukashenko of infringing fundamental rights, including freedom of speech and assembly, and have barred entry to him on grounds that he rigged his 2006 re-election.
The EU has made improved ties contingent on improvements in Belarus's human rights record, including the release of what are described as political prisoners.
Several such detainees have been released in the past year, prompting cautious praise from Brussels. And in recent days the ambassadors of Germany and France have said a September parliamentary election could lead to closer ties.
'It is clear that these releases are the result of pressure by the international community on Belarussian authorities,' Severinets said. 'For the West, this is a thaw of sorts. In any event, what is happening is generating optimism.'
Since quarrelling with traditional ally Russia last year over energy prices, Lukashenko has sought a better relationship with the West. He has called a parliamentary election for September and promised Western observers could attend.
No election has been judged free and fair since the mid-1990s in the country bordering Russia and three EU members.
The admission of observers has been a key issue in elections in ex-Soviet states. Russia on Tuesday offered the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Europe's largest rights body, concessions in a row over conditions for monitors hoping to observe next month's presidential election.
(Reporting by Andrei Makhovsky, Writing by Ron Popeski)
Source:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20080205-0510-belarus-opposition-.html
Archive
