ALYAKSANDR KAZULIN SENTENSED TO 5.5 YEARS OF COLONY :: Charter'97 :: News

(updated) A former candidate for presidency of Belarus, former rector of the Belarusian State university Alyaksandr Kazulin, has been sentenced to 5.5 years of medium security colony by the court of Maskouski district of Minsk. The verdict was delivered by judge Alyaksei Rybakou.

Alyaksndr Kazulin was detained during a forcible disband of a peaceful protest on March 25. on that day riot policemen used weapons and non-lethal weapons like smoke grenades, noise-making explosives, tear gas. Protesters were brutally beaten up, many of them were hospitalized. According to some reports, not confirmed by the regime, one person died.

On March 30 the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party (Hramada) was charged with violation of two articles of the Criminal Code.

His attempt to come to the National Press-center to hold a press conference as a candidate for presidency on February 17 was viewed as hooliganism (Article 339 Part 2 of the Criminal Code). He was charged with violation of the same article for an incident on March 2, when the ex-rector of Belarusian State University broke Lukashenka’s portrait in the building of Kastrychnitski district Interior department. On that day Kazulin was brutally beaten up as he attempted to enter the so-called All-Belarusian meeting, where Lukashenka was present. SOBR commander Dzmitry Paulichenka personally took part in the battery. The world community suspects Paulichenka of abductions and assassinations of oppositionists and a journalist.

As for the events of March 25, the court found Kazulin guilty of organizing mass riot, violating article 341 Part 1 of the Criminal Code (organization of group activities violating civil order, or active participation in similar activities).

On the last days of the trial the defendant was put out of the court and denied a final statement. All requests of the defense were dismissed by judge Alyaksei Rybakou.

The prosecutor Syarhei Bortnik asked to sentence Kazulin to 6 years of imprisonment.

Alyaksandr Kazulin during protest rally on October Square in Minsk after presidential election-2006

Pictures of disband of a peaceful protest in the center of Minsk on March 25, 2006(yahoo.com, svaboda.org, charter97.org)