Today the lawyer of the former candidate for presidency, Ihar Rynkevich, reported works of Alyaksandr Kazulin, said by him after he heard his sentence: “Our country is turning into a penal colony. I have been opposing this system. Today we should aim at freedom for all Belarusian political prisoners, the entire Belarusian nation,” Alyaksandr Kazulin said.

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A mother of the former candidate for presidency of Belarus Alyaksandr Kazulin was taken bad after delivering judgment to her son. Yauheniya Kanstantsinauna Kazulina felt sharp heart pain. An ambulance was called in, however she refused help and stayed near the court of Maskouski district of Minsk. Alyaksandr Kazulin is to leave the building soon.

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Before delivering a judgment to the former candidate for presidency, Alyaksandr Kazulin, judge Alyaksei Rybakou pu out of the court the defendant and everybody present. Alyaksandr Kazulin stated in the court that he is not going to stand up in presence of the judge. “I do not respect this court, besides, I have spent 9 hours in inhuman conditions in a “wineglass” (a preliminary detention cell, usually very small and without windows), - Alyaksandr Kazulin said. People in the court room started to applaud and scan “Freedom to Kazulin!” At the moment riot policemen are showing out people from the court room.

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Before the G8 group summit in St.Petersburg, the Belarusians of Europe passed a petition to US President George Bush expressing concern about the situation in Belarus and numerous attempts of Russia to deprive Belarus of its independence. Moreover, the memorandum of the Belarusian People’s Republic Rada and the address to the leaders of the major states “On political aggression” were adopted at the Soim of the Conservative Christian BNF Party and the Belarusian People’s Front “Adradzhenne” (“Revival”).

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The G8 summit that is to be held July 15-17 in St.Petersburg will touch upon the issue of Russia’s impact and the problems of democracies in Ukraine, Georgia and Belarus, as British Prime Minister Tony Blair said in a briefing ahead of the summit, BelaPAN reports citing The Guardian.

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President George Bush arrived in Germany for a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel before the G8 summit in St.Petersburg. President Bush is to leave for Russia from Berlin. He is to arrive in St.Petersburg on Friday, one day before the leaders of Japan, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Canada. The purpose of the early arriving in Russia is the bilateral talks with President Putin, as Voice of America reports.

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Socio-Democratic parties of Lithuania and Ukraine expressed solidarity with former candidate for the presidential post Aliaksandar Kazulin who is tried in the Minsk Maskouski district court.

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The sentence to former candidate to the presidential post Aliaksandar Kazulin is to be passed tonight, at 5.45 p.m. At the moment, the session is interrupted for a recess.

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Witness for the defense Aleg Volchak was removed from the court July 12, at the session on the case of former candidate for the presidential post Aliaksandar Kazulin. The press-service of Aliaksandar Kazulin asked Aleg Volchak, the former investigator of the prosecutor’s office, lawyer, one of the key witnesses on Kazulin’s case, to comment on the situation:

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The leader of the Young Front Artur Finkevich, who is serving a sentence of two years of restriction of freedom in Mahilyou, was sent for work in the building office number 129 of the open joint-stock company “Lavsan-Stroj”. The young leader is to work as an unskilled worker.

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Today the young Front representatives have finally received an official answer to the demands of hunger strikers. The protest was started on may 29, 2006.

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A mission of the European Union has sent an enquiry concerning the trip of the chairman of the Belarusian state TV and Radio Company Alyaksandr Zimouski (Zimovsky) to Portugal, Radio Svaboda informs. As we have informed, yesterday at a press conference in Minsk, the question about his attitude towards being a non-grata person in the EU countries, was asked to Zimouski. And he answered that last week he visited Portugal, where he took part in a session of the European Broadcasting Union.

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As press-service of UCP informs, head of Gomel town organization of UCP Andrej Tolchyn and Katerina Tolchina were summoned to court officer of Savecki district court in Gomel on July 6. The court officer told them that UCP activists are fined for 155000 BYR each (appr.75 USD). The corresponding decision was passed by administrative commission of Savecki district administration. The Activists were charged with “illegal distribution of printed materials leaflets with information about ban of meeting commemorating 20th anniversary of Charnobyl tragedy”. This decision was taken on May 11 and the Tolchins were not invited to the administrative commission sitting. Head of local UCP branch said that they will submit complaints to the above-standing courts and prosecuto’s office.

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As “Narodnaja Vola” writes, the budget workers were sent to vacations with only half of wages paid to them. No one knows when the rest of money will be paid as town major enterprise “Belkali” is in serious trouble.

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The official reply says that the trade union didn’t accord the juridical address with the owner of premises. Alena Jeskava, branch lawyer, notes that Belarusan legislation doesn`t presuppose additional documents for confirmation of juridical address. The only valid document is agreement with the owner. The authorities just flout with us, says Jeskava.

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A distributor of independent editions Barys Hamaida is being detained every day as if for trade in an inappropriate place in Vitsiebsk. It must be connected with the fact that the annual festival "Slavianski Bazar" is now taking place in the city.

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In the court of Maskouski district of Minsk a public prosecutor S. Bortnik has demanded to sentence the former candidate for presidency Alyaksandr Kazulin to 6 years of imprisonment. It is most likely that the judgment would be delivered to Kazulin today.

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