This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
The former leader of the opposition United Civic Party (AHP), Mikalay Kazlou, was released from prison on July 22 after serving 30 months on a charge of disrupting civil order.
The charge stemmed from Kazlou’s participation in a rally on August 23, 2020, that was attended by at least 100,000 people challenging the results of a presidential election and a brutal police crackdown that started shortly after authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka was declared the winner.
Belarusian authorities later shut down the AHP — one of the oldest opposition political parties in Belarus, established in 1995.
