US and Britain condemn conviction of Andrei Sannikov, who described charges of staging riots as 'absurd'
A Belarussian presidential candidate has been sentenced to five years in prison following a trial that he denounced as political punishment for challenging the nation's authoritarian leader.
A district court in the Belarussian capital Minsk handed out the sentence to Andrei Sannikov after convicting him on charges of staging riots following December's presidential election.
Sannikov called the charges "absurd" in a statement before the verdict, which was condemned by the US and Britain.
"This is a political punishment for me as a presidential candidate who has formed a strong team of professionals and declared readiness to take charge of the country," he said.
Sannikov, a 57-year-old former deputy foreign minister, said he was tortured by Belarus's secret police and that its chief personally threatened harsh reprisals against his wife – a journalist – and their four-year-old son.
Another four opposition activists were also given prison terms in the same trial.
Sannikov's trial was the latest move in an ongoing crackdown on dissent by the government of President Alexander Lukashenko, who was declared the winner of December's election with nearly 80% of the vote. International observers criticised the election.
The exchange rate of the national currency of Belarus plunged by 30% this week after the government completed its devaluation. Hard currency reserves have plummeted to less than $4bn, and staples such as vegetable oil and sugar began vanishing from stores.
"A severe economic crisis has prompted Lukashenko to tighten repression to prevent the opposition from forming the core of protests," said Alexander Klaskovsky, an independent political analyst.
The US state department issued a statement condemning Sannikov's conviction and other trials of presidential candidates and opposition activists.
"Belarus should immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and cease continuing human rights violations against critics of the government," it said. "The results of ongoing trials will be taken into account as the United States continues to review its relations with Belarus and consider further measures."
The Europe minister David Lidington also voiced concern about Sannikov's conviction, calling it a "new low for the rule of law in Belarus".
"Mr Sannikov is guilty of nothing more than the peaceful expression of his opinion about the results of December's flawed elections," he said.
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Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/14/belarus-presidential-candidate-jailed
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