Volha Kazulina: “No dialogue until all political prisoners released”

“We hoped that after release of political prisoners Zmitser Dashkevich, Artur Finkevich, Mikalay Autukhovich and Yury Lyavonau our father would be released too. But unfortunately, our hopes have failed,” a daughter of the former presidential candidate, political prisoner Alyaksandr Kazulin (Kozulin), Volha Kazulina, told to the Charter’97 press-center after her meeting with her father in the corrective labour detention facility “Vitsba-3”.

As said by Volha, Alyaksandr Kazulin does not hope to be released earlier, but moreover, he is convinced that the regime would make every possible effort to keep him behind the bars after his term’s end.

‘He has told that he is a witness in some criminal case now. As he knows nothing about that, he refused to give evidence, but it is unknown how that all could result for him. That is why he is ready for every turn of the situation, and all we have is to hope for God and hope that Lukashenka won’t be guided by emotions when solving the problem of political prisoners, and his common sense would prevail,” Volha Kazulina said.

As said by her, without release of Lukashenka’s opponent Alyaksandr Kazulin, the problem of political prisoners in Belarus won’t be closed for the international community. “Kazulin is a key figure in the list of political prisoners. If he won’t be released, for the world community it would mean that the problem of political prisoners in Belarus is still relevant. Under such conditions neither the EU nor the US would agree to improvement of relations with the Belarusian regime. They have clearly stated that no dialogue is possible before release of all political prisoners,” Volha Kazulina stressed.

As we have informed, on February 13 a short-term meeting of Alyaksandr Kazulin with his daughters Volha and Yuliya has taken place. The former candidate serves his 5.5 year term in the colony Vitsba-3 for staging mass protest rallies against rigged election results in 2006. Alyaksandr Kazulin hasn’t pleaded guilty. He said he was persecuted on political grounds. The international community has recognized Alyaksandr Kazulin a prisoner of conscience.