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Prison doctors recommend Kozulin's hospitalization

Doctors at the Vitba 3 correctional institution near Vitebsk insist on Aleksandr Kozulin's hospitalization, the imprisoned politician's laywer, Igor Rynkevich, told BelaPAN.

According to the lawyer, the doctors have recommended to Dr. Kozulin that he should have a medical examination to check the condition of his viscera and tissues because the prisoner has health problems, including water retention and a slow weight gain following his hunger strike.

Despite these problems, Mr. Rynkevich said, Dr. Kozulin still looks cheerful and confident.

The lawyer said that Dr. Kozulin receives New Year greetings from all corners of Belarus.

"He is especially happy with the fact that people are not afraid, send greetings and sign their names," Mr. Rynkevich said.

According to him, Dr. Kozulin intended to hand his wife Irina a universal message of New Year greetings so that she would send it out to people who wrote to him, but the prison administration banned him from doing so because the message contained words about Belarus' "awakening."

Dr. Kozulin said that he would have to write each letter of greetings by himself, which would take much time and some letter would be delivered after the New Year's Day.

The politician welcomed the United Pro-democratic Forces' decision to decide on their candidates' withdrawal from the local soviets race before January 4.

"He asked the pro-democratic forces to stress that it is useless to vote in elections in Belarus until a central election commission is formed, opposition parties are represented in election commissions, and Belarus has independent broadcasting media," said Mr. Rynkevich.

"Aleksandr Kozulin wished his best to all Belarusians on the occasion of the New Year and expressed confidence that the coming year would be a year of change," the lawyer said.