Poland Demands Belarus Release Its Ambassador
April 04, 2006
A photo from 1998 shows Mariusz Maszkiewicz, the former Polish ambassador to Belarus. He was arrested in Minsk on March 24 (epa)
Ambassador Mariusz Maszkiewicz was imprisoned last month after taking part in rallies against the disputed March 19 election that saw President Alyaksandr Lukashenka reelected.
Maszkiewicz's father is on a hunger strike until he says his son is released.
In Minsk, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry says it has received no official notice of the demand to free Maszkiewicz.
Relations between the two countries have been strained for months, and Poland openly backed the main opposition candidate to Lukashenka.
(Reuters, AFP)