#FreeViasna: Weekly news digest on Viasna’s imprisoned human rights defenders
On September 24, #FreeViasna campaign of solidarity with the imprisoned Viasna members was launched. Here’s the latest news about them from January 24 to 30.
Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovich, and Uladzimir Labkovich have been in jail for 200 days
Viasna chairman Ales Bialiatski, deputy chairman Valiantsin Stefanovich, and lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich have been detained for more than 200 days.
They were detained on July 14, 2021, and accused of large-scale tax evasion for their human rights activities and a strong commitment to the principles of humanism.
On January 28, the Partyzanski District Court of Minsk considered another appeal of Ales Bialiatski against the extension of his detention. Details of the trial are unknown, as the trial was held in private and the lawyer is under a non-disclosure order. The court did not grant the appeal, and thus the human rights defender will remain in pre-trial detention center.
Viasna chairman Ales Bialiatski remains behind the bars
Uladzimir Labkovich sent a letter in which he told about his health and the books he had read recently:
“Lately, I have read Artur Klinov's novel ‘Šklatara’ (Glassware). . . . It's been a long time since I've been so impressed by what I've read. I noticed that all works written in Belarusian are about catastrophe, sorrow, and death. The Belarusian language is not about joy and love at all, but about pain, suffering, catastrophe, and finally death.”
There was no news from the deputy chairman of Viasna Valiantsin Stefanovich.
Marfa Rabkova has been detained for 500 days
The coordinator of the Viasna Volunteer service Marfa Rabkova has been in pre-trial detention center No. 1 for more than 500 days. At the moment the case against her has already been transferred to Minsk City Court, but the date of the hearing has not yet been set. The human rights defender is charged under a number of articles of the Criminal Code for the events of 2016–2020 and faces up to 20 years in prison.
In a recent letter, Marfa said she was fine:
“I look to the future with a great deal of optimism! After all, our Spring is so close! ”
Students, alumni, and professors of the European Humanities University recorded a video message in support of politically imprisoned students Marfa Rabkova, Akikhiro Hayeuski-Hanada, Sofia Sapega, and university graduates Mikalai Dziadok and Uladzimir Malakhouski.
The exact date of the trial against Marfa Rabkova, Andrej Čapiuk, and 9 other political prisoners will be announced soon. The case will be considered in Minsk City Court.
Leanid Sudalenka was transferred to a penal colony
On January 26, Leanid Sudalenka, a political prisoner and human rights defender of Viasna, was transferred to the Penal colony No.3.
Leonid was sentenced to three years in prison on charges of organizing group actions grossly violating public order (Part 1 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code), and in the training of persons to participate in such actions, as well as funding them (Part 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code).
On January 14, the Homiel Regional Court dismissed Leanid's appeal and upheld the sentence. The human rights defender has been in prison for more than a year.
Last week, there was no news about Tatsiana Lasitsa, a volunteer of Viasna. It is known that she will soon be transferred to the Penal colony No. 4.
