BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

23/05/2007

Two Belarusian opposition leaders, sentenced to 3 years in prison, freed early

FOCUS News Agency

Minsk. Two Belarusian opposition activists whose three-year prison sentences prompted condemnation from the United States and European Union were freed Tuesday a year early for good behavior. Paval Sevyarynets and Mikola Statkevich were sentenced in August 2005 for organizing mass protests after the disputed 2004 referendum that allowed Alexander Lukashenko to seek a third term as Belarus' president. Following the trial, the U.S. Embassy called the sentencing a "parody of justice while the EU's foreign policy chief called the sentences excessive. Sevyarynets said the Novopolotsk City Court ordered him released conditionally for good behavior. "My conviction was politically motivated and illegal. I have nothing to repent for" he told AP after his release. Human rights organization Vesna said Mikola Statkevich, who was convicted and sentenced along with Sevyarynets, was also freed Tuesday. He could not be immediately reached for comment. Lukashenko has made Belarus into one of Europe's most repressive societies by quashing dissent and closing down opposition media. The United States and the European Union have slapped sanctions on him and top members of his government, AP reported.

Source:

http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n112994