BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/10/2008

Belarus Activist Turns Himself In, Is Arrested

Alexander Borozenko fled to Poland after being ordered to stand trial for taking part in protests by small entrepreneurs last January.

A Belarussian opposition activist who had been on the run in neighbouring Poland has been arrested after turning himself into police, the Vesna-96 rights group said on Tuesday.

Alexander Borozenko fled to Poland after being ordered to stand trial for taking part in protests by small entrepreneurs last January. He was taken into custody on Monday, Vesna said. Two participants in the protests were jailed and nine were put on probation. All have since been freed as part of President Alexander Lukashenko's efforts to improve ties with the West by releasing detainees seen as political prisoners.

The European Union suspended a visa ban on Lukashenko this month in response to the releases, though some punitive measures remain in place after a parliamentary election that Western monitors said fell short of acceptable standards.

"What is of particular concern is that the arrest took place against the background of EU concessions to Belarussian authorities," Vesna said. "One of those concessions to proceed with dialogue was the absence of political prisoners."

Belarussian authorities were unavailable for comment on Borozenko's detention.

Source:

http://www.javno.com/en/world/clanak.php?id=197270

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