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Kozulin distrustful of prison's medical personnel

Imprisoned opposition politician Aleksandr Kozulin has refused to be transferred to a prison medical unit because he distrusts its personnel, Igor Rynkevich, the former presidential candidate's lawyer, told BelaPAN.

Dr. Kozulin, who is held in the Vitba-3 correctional institution near Vitebsk, said that he would not like to share the fate of Gennady Karpenko, an opponent of Aleksandr Lukashenko who died in hospital under mysterious circumstances in 1999, and "wants to serve the Belarusian people and democracy for some more time," according to the attorney.

The politician is currently recovering after a debilitating hunger strike staged between October 20 and December 11 to protest what he called the illegal reelection of Mr. Lukashenko for a third term and draw the UN Security Council's attention to the situation in Belarus.

Last month's medical tests in the Vitebsk Regional Hospital revealed that the politician's internal organs had not been damaged, but some of them had been enlarged.

Dr. Kozulin met with Vladimir Kovchur, head of the interior ministry's Penal Committee, on January 3. The official allowed the Kozulin family to donate a DVD player and a tennis table to the correctional facility. The items were delivered to the institution on Friday.

Aleksandr Kozulin, rector of Belarusian State University between 1996 and 2003, ran in this past March's presidential election. He was arrested during a post-election opposition protest and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison in July. He was found guilty of hooliganism and the organization of group actions disturbing the public peace. The latter charge was brought in connection with the peaceful march that was brutally dispersed by riot police.