Libereco demands release of Human Rights Defender Ales Bialiatski

We all are Ales: Libereco demands release of Human Rights Defender Ales Bialiatski

Bonn 08.08.2011 Belarusian Human Rights Defender Ales Bialiatski was detained on 4 August 2011 in Minsk. Libereco – Partnership for Human Rights is calling for his immediate und unconditional release. The human rights organisation started an action „We all are Ales“ on facebook and calls on the international and Belarusian public to express their solidarity with the imprisonned human rights defender by supporting this facebook page and sending appeals to President Lukashenko.

Ales Bialiatski is the Chair of Belarusian Human Rights Center Viasna and the Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). He was detained within the framework of a criminal case investigated under Article 243. 2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code (“concealment of profits on an especially large scale”). This carries a sentence of up to 7 years imprisonment with confiscation of property.

Belarusian and international human rights organisations believe his detention is politically motivated and intended to obstruct his legitimate work as a human rights defender. Libereco joined a call of several international human rights organisations, among them Human Rights House, Civil Rights Defenders and Human Rights Watch, for the immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski, who is regarded as a prisoner of conscience by these human rights organisations.

Facebook page “We all are Ales”: http://www.facebook.com/WeAllAreAles

Further information and appeals: http://www.lphr.org

Joint Statement of Human Rights House, Libereco and other NGOs: http://humanrightshouse.org/Articles/16806.html

If you have any questions, please contact: info@lphr.org