Poland’s former ambassador to Belarus has been released from hospital in Minsk and freed. It had been expected that he would be transferred to prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.

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European Parliament (EP) members are collecting signatures to an open letter of support for opposition forces in Belarus. The letter has been drawn by Elizabeth Schredter and Aldis Kuskis, members of the EP Delegation on Relations with Belarus.

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Opposition politician Aleksandr Kozulin, who is currently held in the detention center in Zhodino, Minsk region, underwent a health examination on April 4 at the request of his lawyer, Igor Rynkevich.

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Belarusian opposition leader Aleksandr Milinkevich on April 6 continued his Europe tour despite some ailment.

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Andrei Popov, spokesman for the Belarusian foreign ministry, said on Thursday that it was yet premature to speak about the return of Belarusian Ambassador Pavel Latushko to Warsaw.

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With the passage of today`s nonbinding resolution, the European Parliament stepped up its criticism of the Belarusian regime following the presidential election. The harshly worded resolution calls on EU states not to recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as president, and lists him among some 30 politicians it says should be banned from obtaining visas to enter the bloc.

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A Belarusian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Thursday that the European Union (EU) criticism over its recent presidential election would be ignored, saying that is "laughable".

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The United States’ strategy to promote democracy and human rights in Belarus consisted of applying political and economic restrictions, maintaining diplomatic pressure, speaking out on abuses, and supporting democracy and human rights programs in 2005, says the US Department of State in a report released on Wednesday.

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Belarus is interested in the development of comprehensive cooperation with the United States, but it will not tolerate diktat, said Mikhail Khvostov, Belarusian ambassador to the United States. He told journalists about the recent presidential elections in Belarus and gave his opinion of the response to the Belarusian elections in the U.S. and the European Union.

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Two major avenues in Minsk will be closed to traffic on the afternoon of April 8, when the presidential swearing-in ceremony for Aleksandr Lukashenko is to be held.

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The spokesman for the Polish foreign office said that Henryk Litwin, the new Polish ambassador to Belarus, is unlikely to enter upon his duties in Minsk in April as the “general atmosphere” of the Belarusian-Polish relationship is “unfavorable” for it.

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