General Prosecutor’s Office Insists on Sentence to Kazulin

19.11.2007. Tags: political prisoners, Kazulin.

The General Prosecutor’s Office refused to appeal against the sentence to former candidate for presidency political prisoner Alexander Kazulin. Kazulin’s lawyer learned that from the letter of the General Prosecutor’s Office.

“We have the last opportunity to protest – it is a supervisory complaint to Valiantsin Sukala, head of the Supreme Court. We will send the complaint today. If it is not satisfied, we will appeal to the international institutions,” Ihar Rynkevich, former lawyer of the candidate for presidency, told RFE/RL.

Lawyer Zmitser Harachka sent an appeal to the General Prosecutor’s Office asking to protest against the sentence to Kazulin more than two months ago. Alexander Kazulin was sentenced by Maskouski court of Minsk to 5.5 years of imprisonment for organizing mass protests against the rigging of the presidential election in 2006.

However, Prosecutor General Piotr Miklashevich thinks the sentence was lawful. Earlier, the decision of Maskouski district court was confirmed by Minsk city court.

The United States demands from the Belarusian authorities to stop repression and release all political prisoners. The US Treasury Ministry froze the assets of Belarusian state-owned oil-processing concern Belneftekhim.

“Until the political prisoners are released, the United States will continue imposing sanctions,” David Kramer, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, commented the introduction of the sanction.