France remembers about Ales Bialiatski
The president of France François Hollande and the FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen
François
Hollande, the President of the French Republic, awarded the President
of the International Federation for Human Rights Souhayr Belhassen
with the distinction of Knight of the Legion of Honour. He dedicated
this award to all FIDH activists, especially those who are kept in
prison, including the vice-president, Ales Bialiatski.
On 26
November, during his speech at the award ceremony, François
Holland said, addressing Mrs. Belhassen: “Through you, I am
saluting all FIDH activists, people who often pay the highest price
for their courage. In this I include your Vice-President, Mr.
Bialiatski, currently imprisoned in Belarus; your Deputy Secretary
General Nabil Rajab, currently in prison in Bahrain, and all the
members of your institution who are behind bars today simply for
asking that justice be done.”
Meanwhile, the inscription
“Ales Bialiatski – a honorable citizen of Paris” appeared at
the adboard in front of the mayor's office of the 11th district of
Paris as a sign of Paris' joining the international campaign for the
release of the human rights defender. The title of honorable citizen
was awarded to Mr. Bialiatski on 16 October 2012.
