- Title: BELARUS: Belarussian authorities free former-presidential candidate Dmitry Uss
- Date: 3rd October 2011
- Summary: MINSK, BELARUS (OCTOBER 2, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF CITY CENTRE BY NIGHT COURTYARD WITH PARKED CARS AT HOUSE WHERE DMTRY USS LIVES LIGHT IN WINDOWS DMITRY USS ENTERING ROOM, TAKING SEAT ON SOFA HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BELARUS EX-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DMITRY USS, SAYING: "The United Sates of America and the European Union have put (Belarus) under serious pressure demanding the release of all political prisoners. That's why I had no doubts at all that our chief - I call him (president Alexander Lukashenko) a chief - would set all political prisoners free. It's just a matter of time." DMITRY USS' EYES (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) BELARUS EX-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE DMITRY USS SAYING: "I know that we are innocent, that the allegations were groundless and falsified, and the criminal law and all moral norms were violated, they (authorities) have simply put us in jail. They did it in order to frighten the Belarus people, to keep the people in fear. The policy of our leader is based on frightening people and on lies." HANDS AT MICROPHONE DMITRY USS TALKING TO JOURNALISTS
- Embargoed: 18th October 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Belarus, Belarus
- Country: Belarus
- Topics: Crime,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVAEFXS8HGXXD8B0RGOAGW4U7FWV
- Story Text: Belarus authorities released Dmitry Uss, one of three former presidential candidates serving prison sentences arising from election unrest in December, on Saturday night (October 1) in the country's capital Minsk.
Uss's release, which his wife said was unexpected, followed a European Union meeting on Friday at which the bloc's leaders told Belarus it could count on help in fighting its economic crisis if it freed political prisoners and held free elections.
"The United Sates of America and the European Union have put (Belarus) under serious pressure demanding the release of all political prisoners. That's why I had no doubts at all that our chief - I call him (president Alexander Lukashenko) a chief - would set all political prisoners free. It's just a matter of time," Uss told journalists after his release.
Uss, a 41-year-old lawyer and businessman, was one of several opposition politicians who ran against President Alexander Lukashenko in December's election and were rounded up after an opposition rally protesting against his re-election.
Uss was sentenced in May to 5-1/2 years in jail for organising mass disturbances. Many of those arrested have since been released.
Two other opposition candidates, Andrei Sannikov, who is a former deputy foreign minister, and Nikolai Statkevich are still in jail on similar charges.
"I know that we are innocent, that the allegations were groundless and falsified, and the criminal law and all moral norms were violated, they (authorities) have simply put us in jail. They did it in order to frighten the Belarus people, to keep the people in fear. The policy of our leader is based on frightening people and on lies," Uss said on Saturday adding that he would struggle for release of other political prisoners in Belarus.
Uss had been in a prison hospital suffering from high blood pressure. Uss told Reuters Television he had not asked for a presidential pardon and his release had come as a surprise. There was no official announcement about his release.
The EU and the United States imposed economic sanctions on the ex-Soviet republic and travel bans on its top officials following Lukashenko's crackdown on the opposition.
Europe's main rights and security watchdog, the OSCE, said in June that Belarus used fear, harassment, torture and blackmail to clamp down on its population.
Belarus snubbed the EU talks in Warsaw, which Lukashenko could not attend because of the travel ban, and withdrew their ambassador complaining of discrimination.
Lukashenko has to find 3 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the year to prop up his heavily indebted economy, which has been battered by devaluations of the national rouble currency and big rises in the prices of staples such as meat, milk and bread. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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