Alyaksandr Kazulin

Alyaksandr Kazulin (Belarusian: Аляксандр Уладзіслававіч Казулін, Russian: Александр Владиславович Козулин, born 25 November 1955 in Minsk) is the former leader of the Belarusian Social Democratic Party and one of the candidates who ran for the office of President of Belarus on 19 March 2006. He was a rector of the Belarusian State University (BSU) from 1996 to 2003 and a government minister serving under Belarus President Lukashenko but later fell out of favor. He holds a PhD in mathematics and pedagogy.

Alyaksandr Kazulin
NationalityBelarusian
Citizenship Belarus
OccupationChancellor BSU

Biography

Kazulin was born on 25 November 1955 in Minsk. In 1972, he graduated from school No. 87 and entered the evening department of the Mathematics Department of Belarusian State University. During this period he worked part-time as a lab technician in physics class at school. Served in the Baltic Navy in the Marines from 1974 to 1976. After the army, he worked in the forging shop at the Minsk Tractor Plant. In 1976 he continued his studies at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Belarusian State University, he graduated with honours in 1983.[1]

From 1983 to 1986 he was a postgraduate student in the Department of Differential Equations. After defending his thesis in 1986 (scientific supervisor Prof. M. A. Lukashevich), Kazulin started working as a senior teacher.[1]

From 1988 to 1996, he worked in the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Belarus, reaching the position of Deputy Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Belarus. He made a significant contribution to the reform of the state education system. He is one of the authors of the 'Act on Education of the Republic of Belarus' and the 'Concept of Education and Upbringing of the Republic of Belarus'. In 1995, he defended his doctoral thesis on new educational technologies at the Moscow State Pedagogical University.[1]

On 8 August 1996, he was appointed Rector of the Belarusian State University.[1]

Political activity

In December 2005, Kazulin registered registered his candidacy for 2006 presidential election.[2] His election campaign was the most censored of all candidates, and Lukashenko marked Kazulin as his main personal enemy.[3][4]

Several weeks before the 2006 presidential election, on 2 March 2006, Kazulin was beaten and detained by police after attempting to enter the All Belarusian People's Assembly. Witnesses testified that police fired into the air to stop a car carrying journalists and members of Kazulin's election team.[5] Kazulin was charged with disorderly conduct and released after being held in custody for eight hours.[6][7][8][9]

During the events following the 19 March 2006 presidential election, on 25 March, Kazulin was present in a confrontation between demonstrators and police. Reportedly he walked to the commanding officer with flowers in his hand, and police knocked him off his feet, beat him up, and then detained him.[10] In a post-election interview Kazulin said, "We're not afraid of tanks and violence; we're afraid of prisons and having no freedom. We're tired of living in a spiritual prison."[11]

On 13 July 2006, Kazulin was sentenced to jail for five and a half years at a court in Minsk. He was convicted for his role in the March protests with the official charge being of hooliganism and incitement to mass disorder during the events of 25 March.[12] Amnesty International recognized him as a prisoner of conscience.[13]

On 26 February 2008, he was allowed to attend his wife's funeral, after threatening to go on hunger strike[14] and with significant pressure from EU and US officials onto Belarusian government.[15]

On March 7, 2008, the US announced sanctions against all state enterprises of the petrochemical complex of Belarus. As David Kramer openly stated, the reason was "the unwillingness of the Belarusian government to release Alexander Kozulin".[16] On 16 August 2008, Kazulin was released from prison.[17]

Since 2008, Kazulin has refused any offers to return to politics.[18]

References
  1. "Alyaksandr Kazulin" (in Russian). BSU. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  2. Lichavko, A. (2020-07-14). ""Каждый третий кандидат получал срок": На сколько посадили тех, кто хотел стать президентом Беларуси" ["Every third candidate got a sentence": How much jail time for those who wanted to become president of Belarus] (in Russian). The Village. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  3. "INTERNATIONAL ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION Presidential Election, Republic of Belarus – 19 March 2006". OSCE. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  4. Pavlyuk Bykovski (2006-03-16). "Александр Козулин - профессор в маске солдафона" [Alexander Kozulin - Professor in a Soldier's Mask] (in Russian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  5. Steven Lee Myers (2006-03-02). "Candidate in Belarus is arrested". The NY Times. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  6. "Belarus rally marred by arrests". BBC News. 2 March 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  7. "The remarkable consistency of Lukashenko". Politics In Depth. Angus Reid Global Monitor. 9 March 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  8. "Kazulin & Belarus' "elections"". br23.net. 3 March 2006. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  9. "Belarus: Tightening the screws on dissent". Media Briefing. Amnesty International. 14 March 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  10. Zarakhovich, Yuri (25 March 2006). "Belarus: 'They Knocked My Husband Down and Dragged Him Away'". Time. Archived from the original on March 10, 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  11. Beehner, Lionel (22 March 2006). "Belarus Opposition Candidate Kozulin: 'We're Fed Up' With Dictatorship". Interview. Council on Foreign Relations. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  12. "Belarus opposition leader jailed". BBC News. 14 July 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  13. BELARUS: PUBLIC APPEAL: PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE: ALYAKSANDR KAZULIN, Amnesty International, 5 January 2007, Index number: EUR 49/001/2007 (retrieved October 5, 2017)
  14. Schwirtz, Michael (27 February 2008). "Belarus Opposition Leader Freed for Wife's Funeral". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  15. ""Похорон жены не будет, пока меня не выпустят"" ["There will be no funeral for my wife until they let me out."] (in Russian). Kommersant. 2008-02-26. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  16. Khalip, I. (2008-03-17). "Один Козулин — новая единица экономических санкций" ['One Kozulin' is the new unit of economic sanctions] (in Russian). Novaya Gazeta. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
  17. "Belarus dissident leaves prison". BBC News. 16 August 2008. Archived from the original on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 20 August 2008.
  18. "Страшная судьба конкурентов Лукашенко: оппонентам Батьки "век воли не видать"" [The terrible fate of Lukashenko's opponents: Batska's opponents "will never see the light of day"] (in Russian). Moskovsky Komsomoletc. 2020-07-11. Retrieved 2023-03-07.
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