Alies Bialiatski: Award to Viasna is a sad award because it is connected with the situation in our country, and we would better avoid receiving such awards

19.01.2006

https://spring96.org/en/news/14426 2006 2006-01-19T10:00:00+0200 2006-01-19T10:00:00+0200 1970-01-01T03:00:00+0300 en The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna” The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

The Human Rights Center “Viasna”

On January 16, 2006 Norwegian Helsinki Committee awarded Andrei Sakharau prize 2006 to the head of the banned Human Rights Center Viasna Alies Bialiatski. In the press release of NHC is said that "Alies Bialiatski if the founder and the head of Human Rights Center Viasna that is one of the leading Belarusian human rights organizations. And the activities of HRC Viasna helped Viasna to be nominated among the other public organizations and the opposition movement”. The release also says that Viasna is one of those organizations that render real assistance to the victims of the totalitarian regime in Belarus. Viasna is a public source of information about human rights in Belarus and the source of information about human rights, political relations, and civil society information in Belarus for international society.
Andrei Sakharau award was founded in 1980 by Norwegian Helsinki Committee and was approved and supported by A.Sakharau.
The complimentary address of Norwegian Helsinki Committee says: We award the prize in recognition of the work that You and Viasna have been dong for several years. We also hope that the prize will draw attention to the current situation in Belarus that is even worse now than ever. Among those who received the prize are Siarhei Kavaliou (Russia), Human Rights Foundation (Turkey), and Charter 77(Czechia). Alies Bialiatsky made some comments about the event:
On the one hand, this prize is the evidence of achievement of the Belarusian Human rights movement that consistently defends principles of democracy and human rights in the complicated situation in Belarus. On the other hand, this prize is really sad. It is the evidence of deep concern of the international society over the consistently violated human right in Belarus. Award to Viasna is a sad award because it is connected with the situation in our country, and we would better avoid receiving such prizes.