The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

"Ales Bialiatski, leader of the Human Rights Centre Viasna, was arrested on 4 August 2011 and may face up to seven years imprisonment purportedly for income tax evasion. The severe restrictions on freedom of association in Belarus and the impossibility for independent organisations to register and to receive funds from abroad seriously impeded the work of Viasna and jeopardised its efforts to assist victims of political repression," reads the declaration.

Strasbourg, 08.08.2011 - Following last week's arrest of Ales Bialiatski, head of the NGO Viasna and Vice-President of the International Human Rights Federation, on charges of “tax evasion”, Andres Herkel (Estonia, EPP/CD), the rapporteur on Belarus for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has urged the authorities in Belarus to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr Bialiatski and to put an end to all forms of harassment against him and other human rights defenders in the country.

The Political Affairs Committee of the CE Parliamentary Assembly has released an information note on developments following the adoption of PACE Resolution 1790 (2011) “The situation in Belarus in the aftermath of the presidential election” of 27 January 2011 condemning the violent repression of political protests.

The abolishment of the capital punishment is the main but not the only reason for returning the status of a special invitee to Belarus in PACE. The PACE reporter on Belarus Sinikka Hurskainen has informed about it.