Statement: “Viasna” demands immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski and all political prisoners
Statement
by the Human Rights Center "Viasna"
Minsk, August 4,
2013
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" demands the
immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski and all
political prisoners in Belarus.
4
August marks two years since
the arrest of our friend and colleague, the chairman of the Human
Rights Center "Viasna", vice-president of the International
Federation for Human Rights, who was sentenced to four and a half
years in prison.
The
imprisonment of one of the
most famous and respected human rights defenders in Belarus was the
result of many years of repressive policy of the Belarusian
authorities against civil society in the country, and
is punishment for the
principled long-term human
rights advocacy pursued
by Ales Bialiatski.
The
activities of Ales Bialiatski and the
Human Rights Center "Viasna", established
by him in 1996, including the
financing of the regular activities
of the human rights organization, is wholly
legitimate and complies with the principles laid down in the
Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups
and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized
Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (UN Declaration on Human Rights
Defenders), and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights.
This position has been repeatedly confirmed by the Human
Rights Council, which unanimously called on all States to ensure that
the promotion and protection of human rights is not considered a
crime, and that human rights defenders aren't
deprived of the opportunity to
enjoy
the universal human rights relating to their work, both individually
and in
association with others.
This position was reflected in the views of the Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention of the Human Rights Council in the case of Ales
Bialiatski.
Over the past two years since
the date of arrest of Ales Bialiatski, the human rights situation in
the country hasn't improved
and remains stably
bad: at
present, 12 political prisoners are kept in jail, the practice of
criminal and administrative
prosecution of citizens for political reasons continues,
while the fundamental
civil and political rights are extremely limited.
Imprisonment
and the use of other methods of repression for beliefs, social and
political activities is an sign
of the authorities' inability to build a democratic and pluralistic
society, the desire for the destruction of any kind of dissent and
a deep crisis of the legal
system of the country. In this situation, the persecution of human
rights defenders, who provide
assistance to victims of human rights violations and criticize
the government for such
violations, is
clear evidence that the authorities are willing to use the most
stringent measures to intimidate opponents and society as a whole in
order to preserve the existing regime in the country.
The
Human Rights Center "Viasna" strongly opposes
politically motivated
persecution of citizens and calls on the authorities to
immediately and unconditionally release
all political prisoners and restore them in all civil and political
rights.
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" states it
will continue its legitimate activities for the protection and
encouragement of human rights
in Belarus.
