Mr. Chairman, we would like to remind the Council that former Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Chigir remains imprisoned on trumped-up charges by the Government of Belarus. It has been 24 weeks since the United States first raised this issue before this Council.

I would recall that he courageously resigned his post as Prime Minister to protest the illegitimate 1996 referendum in Belarus.

Although the crimes he allegedly committed date from many years ago, the Belarusian police only began to take an interest in him once he decided to participate in opposition-organized presidential elections.

His arrest this spring, just one day before he was to announce his candidacy for president, was indeed a political act.

For over a month after his arrest, Chigir was denied access to the legal counsel of his choice and was only given it under diplomatic pressure.

Chigir remains in prison, rather than being released on bail or placed under house arrest, even though the allegations against him are purely economic in nature, and no one has suggested that he represents an immediate danger to society.

Despite repeated requests, the authorities have not allowed OSCE representatives to meet with him.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, I would also like to remind the Council that it has now been ten weeks since Belarusian President Lukashenko announced his desire to improve relations with Western states.