Alaksandar Kazulin Released to Bury his Wife

26.02.2008. Tags: political prisoners, Kazulin.
Source: Belarusian Association of Journalists.

Alaksandar Kazulin, who had been released by the administration of the colony "Vitba-3" for three days to bury his wife Iryna, was conveyed to Minsk on the night of February 26. Iryna had died after a serious illness on February 23.

According to Alaksandar Kazulin, "authorities urged his wife to the last ditch" — first of all, by his arrest and conviction in 2006, when he had been a Presidential candidate. Besides, A. Kazulin mentioned "trade", which Alaksandar Lukashenka had spoken about a week ago, — when an urgent departure abroad had been set as a condition for release and meeting with the person, who had a cancer in the fourth stage.

Alaksandar and Iryna didn’t accept these conditions.

A. Kazulin is sure that a spur for his release was a memory action in the name of Iryna Kazulina, which took place yesterday in the evening and gathered, according to different estimates, from one thousand up to two thousand people. Dozens of Belarusian and foreign mass media covered the action.

The action began at the Kastrychnitskaya Square in 18.00 — people with portraits of Iryna Kazulina, candles and flowers spread in a queue along the Independence Avenue. Daughters of Iryna and Alaksandar Kazulin, politicians and public activists stood in the human chain. Police was warning all along those who had gathered that the meeting in that place had been not allowed.

After a while the people moved by the pavements of the Independence Avenue to the Roman Catholic Church of Saint Symon and Alena (Red Roman Catholic Church). Pray for the repose of soul of the dead took place in the street at the entrance to the Roman Catholic Church.

Funeral solemnity for Iryna Kazulina and farewell will take place in the Red Roman Catholic Church, where she will be brought in the evening of February 26. According to the preliminary information the funeral is planned for the next day.