A prominent opposition leader who ran against authoritarian Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko in a 2010 poll was briefly detained Tuesday on returning from self-imposed exile.
Ales Mikhalevich, who faces up to 15 years in prison for allegedly organising "mass riots" after the contested election, returned to Belarus after fleeing to the Czech Republic in 2011.
He was held for five hours at the border with European Union member Lithuania as he tried to re-enter his homeland by train.
He was released on condition he does not leave the country, although he declined to sign any legally-binding documents.
"I think they arrested me illegally (in 2010) and now they are releasing me illegally," Mikhalevich told AFP.
"I didn't sign off on any condition (not to leave the country) so I don't consider myself constrained by any obligations."
Mikhalevich returned to the tightly-controlled ex-Soviet country after Lukashenko last month pardoned six jailed opposition leaders, including another former presidential candidate, ahead of October's presidential poll.
The opposition activist had vowed to return to Belarus once its main political prisoners were released.
"I want to live with my family. I want to live in Belarus," he said.
The 2010 election, which saw Lukashenko re-elected, was marred by a violent crackdown on the opposition that saw most of the president's opponents jailed.
Mikhalevich was arrested along with other opposition activists. He spent around two months in a prison run by the KGB, the Belarussian security service, where he claims he was tortured.
He was released on condition he did not leave the country, but fled to the Czech Republic in 2011.
Lukashenko, 61, who has been in power since 1994, is widely expected to be re-elected to a new term next month.
His government routinely faces international criticism over its rights record, with Belarus remaining the only country in Europe to exercise the death penalty.
A prominent opposition leader who ran against authoritarian Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko in a 2010 poll was briefly detained Tuesday on returning from self-imposed exile.
Ales Mikhalevich, who faces up to 15 years in prison for allegedly organising “mass riots” after the contested election, returned to Belarus after fleeing to the Czech Republic in 2011.
He was held for five hours at the border with European Union member Lithuania as he tried to re-enter his homeland by train.
He was released on condition he does not leave the country, although he declined to sign any legally-binding documents.
“I think they arrested me illegally (in 2010) and now they are releasing me illegally,” Mikhalevich told AFP.
“I didn’t sign off on any condition (not to leave the country) so I don’t consider myself constrained by any obligations.”
Mikhalevich returned to the tightly-controlled ex-Soviet country after Lukashenko last month pardoned six jailed opposition leaders, including another former presidential candidate, ahead of October’s presidential poll.
The opposition activist had vowed to return to Belarus once its main political prisoners were released.
“I want to live with my family. I want to live in Belarus,” he said.
The 2010 election, which saw Lukashenko re-elected, was marred by a violent crackdown on the opposition that saw most of the president’s opponents jailed.
Mikhalevich was arrested along with other opposition activists. He spent around two months in a prison run by the KGB, the Belarussian security service, where he claims he was tortured.
He was released on condition he did not leave the country, but fled to the Czech Republic in 2011.
Lukashenko, 61, who has been in power since 1994, is widely expected to be re-elected to a new term next month.
His government routinely faces international criticism over its rights record, with Belarus remaining the only country in Europe to exercise the death penalty.
