Belarus: 7 presidential candidates face 15 years in prison

[steven johnson]

Source: USA Today

MINSK, Belarus (AP) — A Belarusian human rights organization says seven of the candidates who ran against the country's authoritarian leader face charges that could lead to 15 years in prison in the wake post-election violence and massive arrests.

Some 700 people, including the candidates, were arrested after Sunday's election that gave authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko a fourth term in office. Many of the arrests came on Sunday night, when thousands protested over what international monitors called fraudulent results.

Two of the arrested candidates were later released, but Belyatsky said Wednesday that one of them, Grigory Kostusyev, had been brought in by the KGB for further questioning.



Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-12-22-belarus-election_N.htm?csp=34news&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomWorld-TopStories+%28News+-+World+-+Top+Stories%29

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