24 June 2007
Members of Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" in Brest seeking permission to demonstrate for Kazulin's release
Members of the Brest regional chapter of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party "Hramada" (BSDP) have applied to the Brest government for permission to stage a rally in the city on July 10.
The purpose of the rally is to attract the attention of Brest residents to the stance of the international community that demands the immediate release of BSDP leader and former presidential candidate Alyaksandr Kazulin, Ihar Maslowski, head of the regional chapter, told BelaPAN.
"The international public, the governments of various countries are not indifferent to the fate of Alyaksandr Kazulin," he stressed. "We're not alone in our struggle for the release of our leader. The campaign of solidarity with the former presidential candidate is underway in dozens countries. We want as many citizens of our country as possible to know this."
Dr. Kazulin, rector of Belarusian State University between 1996 and 2003 who has recently been reelected in absentia as BSDP chairman, was arrested during a police crackdown on a peaceful post-election opposition march on March 25, 2006. On July 13, he was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in a minimum security correctional institution on charges of hooliganism and the organization of group actions disturbing the public peace.
http://brestonline.com/en/news/news1264.html