Court rules prison too harsh a punishment for Sambroona leader Lepper

Presidential candidate and leader of the farmer's union Sambroona Andrzej Lepper was released from jail yesterday. He was arrested on Friday for failing to appear in court in Slubice for organizing a blockade of a customs terminal. Lepper's trial in Slubice, has not started yet, as he has failed to appear 11 times. A court in Gorzow decided that imprisoning Lepper was too severe a punishment for evading his trial. Lepper says his time spent in custody has persuaded some people to vote for him. (Gazeta Wyborcza, page 7)