BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/07/2006

U.S. Condemns Conviction, Sentencing of Belarus Opposition Leader

State Department spokesman says trial was "politically motivated"

Washington -- The United States has condemned the conviction and sentencing July 13of former Belarusian presidential candidate Aleksandr Kozulin.

Convicted of "hooliganism" and disturbing the peace, Kozulin was sentenced to five and one-half years in a medium security colony by the court of Maskouski district in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.

"The entire trial was a politically motivated process designed to punish Kozulin for expressing his political views," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack in a statement released July 14.

"As we have done in the past, we will take steps to impose appropriate sanctions on those responsible for this abuse of a Belarusian citizen's rights," McCormack said.

In June, President Bush imposed targeted financial sanctions on Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko and nine other top officials in his government who share responsibility for undermining democratic processes or institutions in the former Soviet republic. In announcing the sanctions, the White House cited as justification the government's human rights abuses, corruption and assaults on democracy, as well as the "fraudulent" presidential election in March and post-election repression of the opposition. (See related article.)

On May 15, Bush banned travel to the United States by Lukashenko and those associated with his regime. (See related article.)

The March 19 Belarusian presidential election failed to meet international commitments for democratic elections, according to an international election observation team sent by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR). As a result, the United States refused to accept the results and supported the opposition's call for new elections. (See related article.)

The European Union has also imposed sanctions on the Lukashenko regime, freezing all funds and assets of 36 Belarusian officials "responsible for the violations of international electoral standards and the crackdown on civil society and the democratic opposition" related to the March 19 presidential elections and imposing travel restrictions against Lukashenko and other Belarusian officials.

Kozulin, a former rector of the Belarusian State University, was arrested March 25 while leading a peaceful protest against the rigged election.

The European Union joined the United States in condemning Kozulin's conviction and sentencing.

"The verdict of the court contradicts basic freedoms, the rule of law and international commitments of Belarus," the Embassy of Germany, which represents the EU in Belarus, said in a statement July 13. The statement further called for the immediate release of Kazulin and other political prisoners.

In the July 14 State Department statement, McCormack called on Belarusian authorities "to free Kozulin and all those being held on politically motivated charges, including the four civic activists associated with the non-partisan monitoring group Partnership."

Partnership is a Belarusian nongovernmental organization devoted to training Belarusians to be election observers and educating Belarusians on their voter rights under Belarusian law.

Source:

http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2006&m=July&x=200607141146561cjsamoht0.9586908