SUSY--QCD corrections to scalar quark pair production in $e^+ e^-$ annihilation

We calculate the supersymmetric QCD corrections in order $\alpha_s$ to the cross section $e^+ e^- \to \sq_i \bar\sq_j$ $(i,j = 1, 2)$ within the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. We pay particular attention to the case of the left--right squark mixing and to the renormalization of the mixing angle. The corrections due to gluino exchange turn out to be smaller than those due to gluon exchange, but they can be significant at higher energies even for a gluino mass of a few hundred GeV.