Belarus opposition leader jailed, West objects

MINSK, Apr 27 (Reuters) A court in ex-Soviet Belarus sentenced main opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich to 15 days in prison today for leading a big rally the previous day that police said was unlawful.

Milinkevich has become a focus for opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko, accused in the West of crushing dissent in his state lying between Russia and three European Union members.

The EU, which said Lukashenko's landslide re-election last month was blatantly rigged, demanded Milinkevich's immediate release.

Looking calm as the judge read out the sentence, the bearded Milinkevich denied he was guilty of any crime. ''This is a political action, a political sentence,'' Milinkevich told the court. ''Leaders of leading political parties are behind bars.'' Other leading opposition activists were also given short prison sentences in an apparent crackdown by authorities after about 7,000 demonstrators took part in yesterday's rally.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, expressed dismay at the detentions.

''I call for the immediate release of all those arrested and detained because of their opinions,'' she said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that jailing Milinkevich was a ''reprehensible action''.

Speaking at a news conference in Sofia during a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bulgaria, Rice said Washington condemned the jail sentence and urged Belarus to ''act in accordance with accepted international principles when it comes to the treatment of political opposition.'' Ronald Pofalla, general secretary of Germany's ruling Christian Democratic party, said the sentence was completely unacceptable. ''We condemn the tyrannical treatment of political opponents by President Lukashenko,'' he said in a statement.

The EU has already imposed visa bans on top Belarus officials following the March 19 election.

''It is important that the Belarussian authorities take note of the fact that further action has not been ruled out...'' said EU Commission spokeswoman Emma Udwin.

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