Amnesty International Germany calls for support of Kozulin :: Charter'97 :: News

Amnesty International Germany has started a separate campaign in support of imprisoned Belarusian opposition politician Aleksandr Kozulin. The German office of the international human rights organization urged people to send letters of support to the Vitba-3 correctional institution near Vitebsk where the former presidential candidate is serving a prison term. "Words of support will be of invaluable assistance for him in these hard times," it said.

It also suggested sending petitions to Aleksandr Lukashenko, Prosecutor General Pyotr Miklashevich and Interior Minister Vladimir Naumov, calling on them to unconditionally and immediately release Dr. Kozulin and stop the harassment of those who are directly or indirectly involved in the defense of human rights and freedoms in the country, BelaPAN reported.
Amnesty International Germany also called for a complete and unbiased investigation into the treatment of Dr. Kozulin by prison officers.

Amnesty International declared Dr. Kozulin a prisoner of conscience on December 22, 2006.

Dr. Kozulin, rector of Belarusian State University between 1996 and 2003, ran in the March 2006 presidential election. He was arrested during a post-election opposition protest and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison in July, found guilty of hooliganism and the organization of group actions disturbing the public peace.

The latter charge was brought in connection with the peaceful opposition march that was brutally dispersed by riot police. The hooliganism charge originated from an incident that occurred in February, when Dr. Kozulin elbowed his way into the National Press Center to hold a news conference there as a newly registered presidential candidate, and his March 2 attempt to register for the Third All-Belarusian People`s Assembly.

Dr. Kozulin staged a 53-day hunger strike in the correctional facility to protest what he called the illegal reelection of Aleksandr Lukashenko for a third term and draw the UN Security Council`s attention to the situation in Belarus. He reportedly lost more than 30 kilograms during the protest.