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A Belarusian court sentenced a European diplomatic staffer to four years in prison late last year, a decision that has drawn strong condemnation from the European Union’s External Action Service, News.az reports citing Politico.
“We continue calling for Mikalai Khilo’s immediate and unconditional release,” said Anitta Hipper, EU spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, in a statement.
Khilo, a local staff member at the EU’s mission to Minsk, was detained on April 24. According to Viasna, a Belgian human rights NGO, he may have been accused of insulting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. In power since 1994, Lukashenko is slated to run in yet another rigged election on Jan. 26.
According to an EU official who was granted anonymity to speak freely, Khilo was apprehended by the Belarus KGB intelligence service in front of the EU delegation office. He faced a possible sentence of up to 12 months.
Hipper reiterated her call for the Khilo’s “immediate and unconditional release.”