Belarusian human rights defenders pass petition for release of Ales Bialiatski and all political prisoners to Presidential Administration

Representatives of democratic NGOs, civil activists and human rights defenders of Belarus paid a visit to the Presidential Administration to pass the petition demanding an immediate and unconditional release of Ales Bialiatski and all political prisoners and cessation of pressurization on human rights and civil society organizations of the country. The petition was passed on the eve of the International Day of Solidarity with the Civil Society of Belarus which will be marked for the first time on 4 August.

The delegation consisted of members of the Human Right Center “Viasna”, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Center for Human Rights and other human rights organizations, the Belarusian Association of Journalists and politician Aliaksandr Milinkevich.

The Human Rights Center “Viasna” also called on representatives of international and Belarusian human rights organization with the call to hold actions of solidarity with Ales Bialiatski, the head of the Human Rigths Center “Viasna” and the vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) who was arrested on 4 August 2011 and sentenced to 4.5 years of imprisonment for human rights activism.