- Alaksandar Kazulin
Alaksandr Kazulin ( _be. Аляксандр Уладзіслававіч Казулін), born
25 November 1955 , is the leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates who ran for the office ofPresident of Belarus onMarch 19 ,2006 .Kazulin was born in
Minsk . He was a rector of theBelarusian State University from 1996 to 2003 and a government minister serving under Belarus PresidentAlexander Lukashenko but later fell out of favor. He holds a PhD in mathematics andpedagogy . He is married and has two daughters.Several weeks before the election, on
March 2 ,2006 , Kazulin was beaten and detained by police after attempting to enter theAll Belarusian People's Assembly . He was charged with disorderly conduct and released after being held in custody for eight hours. [cite news |title= Belarus rally marred by arrests|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4766024.stm|publisher=BBC News |date= 2006-03-02|accessdate= 2008-08-20] [cite web |url= http://www.angus-reid.com/analysis/view/11158|title= The remarkable consistency of Lukashenko|accessdate= 2008-08-20|date= 2006-03-09|work= Politics In Depth|publisher=Angus Reid Global Monitor ] [cite web |url= http://www.br23.net/en/2006/03/03/kazulin-belarus-elections|title= Kazulin & Belarus’ “elections”|accessdate= 2008-08-20|date= 2006-03-03|work= br23 blog] [cite web |url= http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/EUR49/002/2006/en/dom-EUR490022006en.html|title= Belarus: Tightening the screws on dissent|date= 2006-03-14|accessdate= 2008-08-20|work= Media Briefing|publisher=Amnesty International ]During the events following the March 19 presidential election, on
March 25 , Kazulin was present in a confrontation between demonstrators and police. Reportedly he walked to the commanding officer with flowers in his hand, and police knocked him off his feet, beat him up, and then detained him. [cite news |first= Yuri|last= Zarakhovich|title= Belarus: 'They Knocked My Husband Down and Dragged Him Away'|url= http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1176933,00.html|publisher= Time|date= 2006-03-25|accessdate= 2008-08-20] In a post-election interview, despite Lukashenko's win, Kazulin said, "We're not afraid of tanks and violence; we're afraid of prisons and having no freedom. We're tired of living in a spiritual prison." [cite web |url= http://www.cfr.org/publication/10202/belarus_opposition_candidate_kozulin.html|title= Belarus Opposition Candidate Kozulin: 'We’re Fed Up' With Dictatorship|accessdate= 2008-08-20 |last= Beehner|first= Lionel|date= 2006-03-22|work= Interview|publisher=Council on Foreign Relations ]On
July 13 ,2006 , Kazulin was jailed for five and a half years at a court in Minsk. He was convicted for his role in the March protests, the official charge being ofhooliganism and incitement to mass disorder during the events of March 25. [cite news |title= Belarus opposition leader jailed|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5178714.stm|publisher=BBC News |date= 2006-07-14|accessdate= 2008-08-20 ]Amnesty International recognizes him as aprisoner of conscience . OnFebruary 26 ,2008 Kazulin was temporarily released from his jail inVitsyebsk to attend his wife's funeral, after threatening to starve himself if was not released. [cite news |first= Michael|last= Schwirtz|title= Belarus Opposition Leader Freed for Wife’s Funeral|url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/27/world/europe/27belarus.html|publisher=The New York Times |date= 2008-02-27|accessdate=2008-08-20 ] OnAugust 16 ,2008 , he was released from prison; whether temporarily or permanently was not clear. [cite news |title= Belarus dissident leaves prison|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7565695.stm|publisher=BBC News |date= 2008-08-16|accessdate= 2008-08-20]References
External links
* [http://kozylin.com/ Official home page] be icon
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