BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/02/2008

Belarusians Pay Tribute To Imprisoned Politician, Deceased Wife

Nearly 1,000 people attended on February 27 a requiem mass in a Minsk church in tribute to Iryna Kazulina, the wife of imprisoned former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, Belapan and RFE/RL's Belarus Service reported. Several hundred people attended her burial in the village of Tarasava near Minsk. Those present included many prominent figures, such as politicians Stanislau Shushkevich, Alyaksandr Milinkevich, Syarhey Kalyakin, and Yury Khadyka, as well as U.S. Ambassador to Belarus Karen Stewart. The family wanted to bury Kazulina -- who died after a long fight with breast cancer and during her life contributed much to organizations working with cancer -- at the Minsk cemetery reserved for prominent figures, but the authorities did not give permission. For Kazulin, who was granted a three-day leave to attend his wife's funeral, the short period of freedom also became an occasion to relax and give the public his assessment of ongoing political processes. At an online conference arranged by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, Kazulin confirmed that he has not been broken by prison and that he is ready to withstand even more pressure. 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 the public order. "Earlier, I was not a politician, but I have turned into one now after passing all these ordeals," Kazulin said the conference. "My goal is to serve my people and my Belarus. I will not spare anything for this, including my life. And these are not hollow words," he said. Kazulin suggested that the Belarusian authorities, if they consider his early release at all, will not release him before March 25, when the opposition intends to mark the 90th anniversary of the proclamation of the Belarusian Democratic Republic, which is regarded by pro-democratic Belarusians as a key event in the formation of Belarusian statehood in the 20th century. AM

Source:

http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2008/02/3-cee/cee-280208.asp

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