We, representatives of Belarusian civil society, would like to express our deep gratitude to the citizens of Belarus who acceded to our appeal for solidarity with the imprisoned leader of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski through contribution to the money-raising campaign to “repair the damage inflicted by the offence”, as ordered by a court ruling.
The chair of FIDH Vice-President Ales Bialiatski was left vacant during the presentation of the 2011 Report by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 27 December.
“Let us hope the year will be quieter for us personally and maybe a decisive one for the whole country. Then life will flow in the necessary direction”, says imprisoned Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski in a letter sent from Zhodzina prison, wishing a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of his friends and colleagues.
Today's first appeal was the morning solidarity event in front of Embassy of Belarus in Prague, calling for freeing Ales Bialiatski and other Belarusian political prisoners. This was followed by simulated arrests of students at the Charles University and by a flashmob in the centre of Prague. The event taking place on the anniversary of Belarusian presidential election was organized by the NGOs People in Need, NESEHNUTI, Amnesty International CR and Civic Belarus, in cooperation with the Belarusian community in Prague.
On the 14th of December the Chairman of the Board of “Civil Society Institute” NGO and FIDH Secretary General Artak Kirakosyan together with CSI NGO president Arman Danielyan presented the 2011 Report on the Protection of the Human Rights Defenders around the world. In Armenia, as in other countries, during the presentation of the report the seat of the speaker Ales Bialiatski was left vacant as a call for setting him free.
"Today in Mexico we presented the Annual Report of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The presenters included human rights defenders from Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, and Venezuela. At the end of the presentation we took the photo that is attached. Please accept it as a symbol of our support and solidarity at this difficult time and of our hope that justice will prevail and Ales Bialiatski will soon be free", says a letter of support recieved by the Human Rights Center Viasna from Latin America.
On November 23 in Brussels, at the annual conference of Sakharov Prize Laureates, a campaign was started to collect signatures under the open letter demanding immediate release and full rehabilitation of Ales Bialiatski. The campaign was launched by BAJ chair Zhanna Litvina and head of the civil right movement For Freedom Aliaxandr Milinkievich.
Activists of the Russian Memorial human rights NGO Anna Udyarova and Filipp Kostenko were detained by the police while staging a picket of solidarity with Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski outside the Belarusian Consulate Department in Saint Petersburg on 25 November.
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