With the one year anniversary of the conviction of Ales Bialiatski, Human Rights Centre “Viasna” faces relentless harassment
One year ago, on November 24, 2011, the Minsk Pervomaiski District Court sentenced Mr. Ales Bialiatski,
President of the Human Rights Centre (HRC) “Viasna” and FIDH
Vice-President, to four and a half years of imprisonment. The conviction
stated that he should serve his sentence under strict regime
conditions, have his property seized, including the premises used for
Viasna’s offices in his name, and have to pay a fine of 757,526,717
Belarusian Rubles (approximately 70,000 Euros). On January 24, 2012, the
Minsk City Court confirmed the sentence on appeal, and on February 28,
2012, Ales Bialiatski was transferred to Babruisk Penal Colony No. 2.
The Observatory recalls that Mr. Bialiatski was arrested on August 4,
2011 by the police representative of the Department of Financial
Investigations, and charged, on blatantly biased grounds, with
“concealment of profits on an especially large scale”.
Since then, he has been subjected to numerous arbitrary disciplinary
sanctions by the facility’s administration including reduction in his
monthly allowance and suppression of visits and care packages. Meanwhile
other detainees have been forbidden to communicate with Mr. Bialiatski,
thereby increasing the level of isolation and psychological pressure
put on him.
While Mr. Bialiatski’s conviction targeted his human rights’
activities as well as more broadly that of HRC “Viasna”, at the
beginning of July 2012, the Partizanski Court of Minsk City confirmed
the seizure of its offices. On November 17, Ms. Natalia Pinchuk, Ales
Bialiatski’s wife, received an official notification informing her that
“Viasna” would be evicted from the offices on November 26, though it has
occupied them for the past 12 years.
Once more, the Observatory firmly denounces the ongoing harassment
and arbitrary detention of Ales Bialiatski, and is alarmed by the
upcoming eviction of HRC “Viasna”, which has been providing crucial
assistance to victims of human rights violations for more than 16 years.
It is clear that these developments represent one step further in the
relentless campaign of slandering and harassment led by the Belarusian
authorities against HRC “Viasna” for the past years.
The Observatory therefore urges the Belarusian authorities to
immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Bialiatski and to refrain
from further harassments of HRC “Viasna”, as these acts clearly aim at
hampering and sanctioning their legitimate human rights activities.
More generally, the Observatory reiterates its call to the
authorities of Belarus to put an end to the ongoing repressive climate
targeting human rights defenders and organisations in the country, in
line with the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and international human rights
instruments, all ratified by Belarus.