Poland's _ and Eastern Europe's _ first post-communist PM Tadeusz Mazowiecki dies aged 86

Tadeusz Mazowiecki, Eastern Europe's first democratic prime minister after communism, key adviser to Poland's Solidarity freedom movement and U.N. human rights envoy to Bosnia in the 1990s, has died. He was 86.

Mazowiecki's personal secretary, Michal Prochwicz, told The Associated Press that the former prime minister died early Monday in hospital.

Prochwicz said Mazowiecki was taken to hospital on Wednesday, with high fever.