Despotic Belarus Regime Jails Nobel Peace Prize Winner Ales Bialiatski
Despotic Belarus Regime Jails Nobel Peace Prize Winner Ales Bialiatski
Although the UN human rights agencies and world leaders have failed completely to protect the peaceful protesters in Belarus, they keep releasing perfunctory bureaucratic statements which have no effect on autocratic President Lukashenko.
By Rakesh Raman
As human rights abuses are increasing continuously in Belarus, a court in Belarus ordered today (March 3) the imprisonment of Nobel Peace Prize winner and rights activist Ales Bialiatski for 10 years.
It is alleged that Bialiatski, 60, financed protests and other crimes – the allegations which are believed to be frivolous and politically motivated. Bialiatski and three co-defendants were charged with supporting protests and smuggling money.
Bialiatski and his companions are not alone who are being harassed in Belarus. Hundreds of Belarusians have been arrested and jailed because they peacefully exercised their rights to freedom of expression and assembly in response to a fraudulent election in August 2020 that allowed President Alexander Lukashenko to retain power.
When the intensity of protests increased, Lukashenko’s regime shut down dozens of independent organizations and media outlets. Bialiatski is a co-founder of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” which is a non-governmental organization formed in 1996 during mass protest actions of the democratic opposition in Belarus.
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In 2022, according to Viasna, arrests, torture, and criminal proceedings on political grounds against Belarusian activists continued. It reports that by the end of 2022, there were 1,446 political prisoners in Belarus while 889 people were recognized as political prisoners.
[ RMN Foundation Appeals for the Release of Political Prisoners in Belarus ]
Viasna asserts that the draconian action against Bialiatski and his colleagues has been taken because they were helping the persecuted Belarusians. It also demanded their acquittal and release.
Bialiatski won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his work on human rights and restoration of democracy in Belarus. He was arrested in July 2021 on tax evasion charges.
Although the UN human rights agencies and world leaders have failed completely to protect the peaceful protesters in Belarus, they keep releasing perfunctory bureaucratic statements which have no effect on autocratic President Lukashenko.
In February, for example, the Council of Europe (COE) Secretary General, Marija Pejčinović Burić, announced a 15-point action plan to support civil society and democracy representatives working towards a future free and democratic Belarus. However, this plan would be as ineffective as the other casual steps taken in the past.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society.
