Paris supports Ales Bialiatski! Photo report
A
portrait of Ales Bialiatski,
vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights and the head of
the Human Rights
Center “Viasna”, was installed in
front of the Mayor’s office of the 11th arrondissement of Paris on Friday, 11 May.
In this way the French capital expressed its support to the campaign aimed at
the liberation of the Belarusian human rights.
Souhayr Belhassen (President of FIDH), Patrick
Bloch (Mayor of
the 11th arrondissement of Paris)
and Pierre Schapira (Deputy Mayor of Paris, the Commissioner for Foreign
Relations) strongly condemned the continuing repression in Belarus, demanded
the release of all political prisoners and called to a "strong, visible
and united” mobilization of the entire international community.
The ceremony was attended by the ombudsmen of a number of European countries –
Sweden, Austria, Hungary, the Netherlands and France, and members of the FIDH
International Board coming from Africa, South and North America, eastern and
western Europe and Asia, representatives of member organization of the FIDH and
journalists.
The event drew a large attention. The people who gathered for the rally,
chanted slogans, calling to an immediate release of Ales Bialiatski.
Bear in mind that on 24 November 2011 the
Pershamaiski District Court of Minsk sentenced the head of the Human Rights
Center “Viasna “, vice-President of the International Federation for Human
Rights Ales Bialiatski to years and 6 months in prison with confiscation of
assets under part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of
Belarus – “evasion from payment of taxes on an especially large scale”. The
human rights defender pleaded innocent and considers this case to be
politically motivated. The verdict was condemned by the civil society of Belarus and the
international community. At present Ales Biailatski is serving his sentence at
corrective colony #2 in the city of Babruisk
in Mahiliou region.
