BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
26/02/2008
Belarusian Authorities Give Imprisoned Politician Three-Day Leave
Alyaksandr Kazulin, an imprisoned former presidential candidate, was given overnight on February 25-26 a three-day leave to attend the funeral of his wife Iryna, who died on February 23 after a long fight with breast cancer, RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Vital Ahnistsikau, the chief of the correctional facility near Vitsebsk where Kazulin is incarcerated, drove Kazulin home to Minsk shortly after midnight. Ahnistsikau announced on February 25 that he was not going to grant Kazulin a temporary release due to several violations by Kazulin of the correctional facility's regulations, but he later changed his mind. ""You can't imagine what it was like in the colony at that point," Kazulin told reporters about the moment when Ahnistsikau produced his release order. "It was surrounded by riot police. Inside there were security guards everywhere. No one was allowed to move," he said. Kazulin suggested that the authorities felt forced to grant him temporary release in order to prevent mass demonstrations. The previous day, several hundred people in central Minsk gathered to commemorate the death of Kazulin's wife and demand the release of the imprisoned politician. The funeral of Iryna Kazulina is scheduled for February 27. Kazulin was arrested during antigovernment demonstrations that followed the March 2006 presidential election and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison for organizing events that disturbed public order. The West regards Kazulin as a political prisoner and he is probably the most significant figure to be jailed in recent years in Belarus. AM
Source:
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/02/3-cee/cee-260208.asp
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