Former presidential candidates sentenced to jail in Belarus

Former presidential candidates sentenced to jail in Belarus

2011-05-26 23:43:35 GMT+7 (ICT)

MINSK, BELARUS (BNO NEWS) -- A Belarusian court on Thursday sentenced two former presidential candidates to jail, RIA Novosti reported.

Nikolai Statkevich and Dmitry Uss were sentenced to six and five-and-a-half years in a high-security prison respectively for organizing mass protests during the December presidential elections. They were part of the seven candidates detained after the polls, which international observers said were rigged.

A Minsk court earlier sentenced three other ex-presidential candidates to prison terms. Andrei Sannikov was sentenced to five years in a high-security prison, Vladimir Neklyayev received two years in prison with a two-year deferral, while Vitaly Rimashevsky received a two-year suspended sentence.

More than 600 citizens of Belarus were detained after the December 19 demonstration in central Minsk following the reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the country for more than 15 years. He won a fourth term in office with almost 80 percent of the vote.

Most of the detainees have been charged with administrative offenses, but dozens of criminal cases have been initiated over the protests, including several against former presidential candidates.

The United States and European Union have condemned the crackdown on the opposition in Belarus and imposed sanctions against Lukashenko and more than 160 top Belarusian officials.

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek condemned the convictions and called for the immediate release of all protestors.

"These opposition leaders should be supported, not convicted. They are standing up for a free and democratic Belarus. They stand against a Belarus where power is held in the hands of one man and his regime," Buzek said. 

In February, Belarusian authorities began sentencing protesters. Vasily Parfenkov was the first individual sentenced for participating in the December 19 protests. He worked on the campaign staff of Neklyayev and was given a four-year prison term.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-05-26