Ales Bialiatski became honorary citizen of Genoa
The municipality of the Italian city of Genoa granted the status of honorary citizen to Ales Bialiatski, Chairperson of the Human Rights Center Viasna. The Italian society expressed thereby its concern with the situation of human rights in Belarus, particularly the use of the death penalty, restriction of the freedom of the media and civil and political rights.
The honorary certificate was presented to the Belarusian human rights defender by the Genoa Major, Marta Vincenzi. The ceremony took place on 15 July in Palazzo Tursi was attended by Italian MPs, journalists and youth.
Ales Bialiatski notes that this honorary status is a sign of support to the unregistered Human Rights Center Viasna and all Belarusian human rights defenders and fighters for the democracy in the country.
Honorary citizenship of Genoa is granted to one person a year. For the years past, this status was awarded to the former President of Poland, Nobel Prize holder Lech Wałęsa (1990), ex-President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachyov (1996), twice Prime-Minister, President of Israel, Nobel Prize holder Shimon Peres (1998), etc.
What concerns Belarus, we can remind about a well-known specialist in the radiation medicine, doctor of medical sciences, Professor Yury Bandazheuski, who was declared a honorary citizen of Paris in 2003.
