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Ales Bialiatski

Born Karelia, Russia

Nationality Ales Bialacki, Ales Byalyatski, Aliaksandr Other names Bialiatski

Employer Viasna Human Rights Centre Known for Human rights activism

Ales Bialiatski (Belarusian: Алесь Бяляцкі, sometimes transliterated as Ales Bialacki, Ales Byalyatski and Alex Belyatsky) is a Belarusian political activist known for his work with Viasna Human Rights Centre, of which he is currently the head. He is the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights. Bialiatski has received the and the Per Anger Prize for his efforts in promoting human rights and democracy. He was arrested by Belarusian authorities on tax evasion charges in 2011.

Activism

In the 1980s, he also became actively involved in anti-Soviet protests. One notable event he helped to organize was a memorial ceremony at Kurapaty, the site of thousands of killings by the NKVD in the late 1930s.[1] Bialiatski was also one of the founding members of the . Bialiatski founded the Viasna Human Rights Centre in 1996. The -based organization provides financial and legal assistance to political prisoners and their families.[1] According to the International Federation for Human Rights, on 14 February 2011, Bialiatski was summoned to the Public Prosecutor's office and warned that as Viasna was an unregistered organization, the government would seek criminal proceedings against it if the group continued to operate.[3]

International recognition

In 2005, Bialiatski and Viasna won the Homo Homini Award of the Czech NGO , which recognizes "an individual who is deserving of significant recognition due to their promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts".[1] In 2006, he won the Per Anger Prize,[2] named for Swedish diplomat Per Anger and awarded to an individual who "promotes democracy and humanitarian efforts, is characterized by active measures and initiative, works for no personal gain, takes great personal risks, displays great courage and is a role model for others".[4] Bialiatski has also been elected the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights, a post he still holds as of February 2011.[3]

August 2011 arrest On 4 August 2011 Ales Bialiatski was arrested under charges of tax evasion[5] (“concealment of profits on an especially large scale”, Article 243, part 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus).[6] This article includes penalties of up to 7 years imprisonment and the confiscation of property. The indictment was made possible by financial records released by prosecutors in and .[5]

Reaction Several international human rights non-governmental organisations called for Bialiatski's "immediate and unconditional release".[7]

 On September 12, for Ales Bialiatski is the vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights FIDH launched a campaign [8] in order to put the emphasis on his case and therefore get him released.  On August 11, declared Bialiatski a prisoner of conscience.[9]  Tatsiana Reviaka, Bialiatski’s colleague at Viasna and the President of the Belarusian Human Rights House in , said that "the reason behind these charges is the fact that our organisation Viasna has been providing different assistance to victims of political repressions in Belarus."[7]  "Belyatsky’s arrest is a clear case of retaliation against him and Viasna for their human rights work. It’s the latest in a long series of efforts by the government to crush Belarus’s civil society", said in a statement.[10]

France's Ambassador for Human Rights, Francois Zimeray, received Ales Bialatski's wife Natalia Bialiatski in Paris and expressed the full support of the French government.[11]

The Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski made a formal apology for the aid given Belarus and stated that prosecutors were "starting an inquiry to find out who was responsible for giving the information to Belarus, despite instructions from Poland's Foreign Ministry to use care in handling such requests from Minsk."[5] Andrei Savinykh, head of the Information Office, Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, said that the Polish foreign ministry statement "demonstrates stunning nihilism of legal practices," according to BelTA. The statement went on to accuse Poland of allowing the end to justify the means and "that the malignant practice of artificial cultivation of pseudo-political formations, which are controlled from abroad, contradicts national laws and nurtures various crimes and abuses.” It summarized the charges against Belyatsky by mentioning Viasna's unregistered status and saying the authorities believed he'd "failed to mention over Br1 billion in taxable revenues, with Br143.7 million in income tax unpaid."[12]

Sentencing

On October 24th 2011, Bialiatski was sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison for "concealment of income on a large scale."[13]

The United Nations condemned the Balurisan courts for the excessive sentence, and called for his immediate release. A UN spokesperson expressed the concern that such a decision "will have a negative impact on the ability of civil society to operate freely and without fear."[14]