24.11.2011 Statement by members of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” on the sentence to Ales Bialiatski
Today, on November 24, 2011, Judge Siarhei Bandarenka of Pershamaiski District Court in Minsk sentenced our colleague – chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, vice-president of FIDH Ales Bialiatski to 4.5 years of imprisonment. The human rights activist was convicted of allegedly committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code – “tax evasion on a large scale”.
24.11.2011 Pronouncement of verdict to Ales Bialiatski: 4.5 years in prison
At about 11 a.m., Judge Siarhei Bandarenka of Minsk Pershamaiski District Court is expected to pronounce a verdict to Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski.
23.11.2011 Ales Bialiatski trial: Oral arguments (online). Verdict due on 24 November.
Judge Siarhei Bandarenka of Minsk Pershamaiski District Court has resumed the hearing of the criminal case of Viasna leader Ales Bialiatski.
20.11.2011 Stop murder – in the name of the people!
The Human Rights Defenders Against the Death Penalty are calling upon everyone to help save human lives by signing the online petition against the possible execution of Dzmitry Kanavalau and Uladzislau Kavaliou.
17.11.2011 Urgent appeal: Viasna demands to stop abuse against Andrei Sannikau and his family
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” urges the Belarusian authorities to immediately put an end to abuses against prisoner of conscience Andrei Sannikau and his family.
11.11.2011 Ales Bialiatski to be given new charges on 16 November
On 10 November the trial of Ales Bialiatski, Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, continued at the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk.
09.11.2011 A new film in support of Ales Bialiatski (video)
The trial against Mr. Ales Bialiatski, FIDH Vice-President and President of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” (Belarus), currently arbitrarily detained in relation with his human rights activities, is presently taking place in Minsk. In many States of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region, human rights defenders are facing similar harsh repression: obstacles to freedoms of assembly and association, hindrances to NGO registration, criminalisation of unregistered organisations, obstacles of access to funding, judicial harassment and arbitrary detentions.
09.11.2011 Ales Bialiatski points at those who ordered the criminal case
"I state that this case was instigated and conducted with evident political motives, with the aim to persecute members of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, including me, for human rights activities," - stated Ales Bialiatski on 4 November, during the third day of the trial. To confirm his words, he read some documents from the first volume of criminal case # 11081100188, which were just mentioned by the prosecutor during the study of the case.
01.11.2011 Presence of foreign human rights defenders is undesirable at the trial of Bialiatski
In many countries the Belarusian Embassies refuse to issue visas to representatives of human rights and international organizations who want to attend the consideration of the criminal case of Ales Bialiatski, Chairman of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.
01.11.2011 Fact-sheet on criminal case of Ales Bialiatski
The trial of human rights defender Ales Bialiatski will start at 10 a.m. on 2 November at the Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk (Prauda Avenuem, 27) and will be led by Judge Siarhei Bandarenka.
13.10.2011 Ales Bialiatski: “The time threw us a challenge. We accepted it"
This is an interview with Aliaksandr Bialiatski prepared for publication for the 15th anniversary of Human Rights Center "Viasna", which is celebrated this year. In this interview, Bialiatski tells not only about the history of the organization, the purpose of its work and his colleagues, but also about his vision of human rights protection in democratic reforms, which will doubtlessly take place in Belarus in the near future.
10.10.2011 Burmese dissident Aung San Suu Kyi expresses solidarity with Ales Bialiatski
Aung San Suu Kyi, one of the world famous dissidents, joined the international campaign for the protection of the Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
09.10.2011 PACE adopts a declaration on Ales Bialiatski
"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.
07.10.2011 Statement of Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi in support of Ales Bialiatski
Shirin Ebadi, well-known Iranian human rights activist and lawyer, awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, gave a statement on the case of her Belarusian colleague Ales Bialiatski :
05.10.2011 Human rights defenders recognize Alinevich, Dziadok and Frankevich political prisoners
Human Rights Center "Viasna" and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee recognized Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Dziadok and Aliaksandr Frantskevich as political prisoners of the present regime. The human rights defenders came to this conclusion on the basis of analysis of the so-called “Case of Anarchists”.
