Actions in support of Ales Bialiatski and all Belarusian political prisoners held in different parts of Belarus (photos)
Baranavichy
Baranavichy
human rights defenders and social activists Siarhei Housha, Anzhalika
Kambalava and Viktar Syrytsa held an informational action in
Baranavichy dedicated to the second anniversary of the imprisonment
of Ales Bialiatski. Two mobile groups of social activists walked in
the city and the villages of the Baranavichy district, wearing
T-shirts “Freedom to Ales Bialiatski!” with Ales's portrait and
handing out information about him and other political prisoners.
“At present the authorities don't let us legally express
solidarity with political prisoners, denying the very fact of their
existence. They prohibited us to hold a picket in support of
Bialiatski and other prisoners of conscience near the “Kastrychnik”
cinema on 4 August. However, no one can prohibit us to have rest
outdoors together with friends and families, take photos and talk
with people. Today there turns two years since the arrest of the head
of the Human Rights Center “Viasna” Ales Bialiatski. That's why
we decided to go to the villages and walk along the city's streets to
express solidarity with Ales Bialiatski and other political
prisoners,” stated human rights defender Siarhei Housha.
Biaroza
Biaroza activists
handed out postcards with Ales Bialiatski's portrait at the central
market. The postcards also contained the information that two years
ago the well-known human rights activist, vice-president of the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), writer, literary
criticist, journalist, three-time nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize
is still kept in prison.
The action participants were very
glad at the fact that very few people refused to take the postcards.
Some of the people told they knew about Ales. The human rights
defenders also reminded about other political prisoners, who are kept
in jail for their views. The action went peacefully.
It's
worth noting that the picket was organizers of the event received a
picket ban from the authorities in the afternoon on 3 August. On 19
July, after filing the picket application, they also tried to enter
into service contracts with the police, medics and public utilities.
However, the executive committee stated that the contracts might be
unnecessary, taking into account that just ten people were going to
take part in the event. The public utilities composed the required
contract. The chief physician of the Biaroza district hospital gave a
written answer that it was impossible to conclude such agreement, as
serving mass events was absent in the list of the paid services,
provided by the medical institution.
As far as Biaroza
District Executive Committee was to have answered the application
five days before the event and violated the acting legislation by its
late answer, the action organizers are going to appeal it at the
regional executive committee and at court.
Brest
district
On 4 August, the International Solidarity Day
with political prisoners and the civil society of Belarus, activists
of the civil campaign “Tell the Truth” from Brest district
expressed solidarity with Ales Bialiatski by sending him postcards
with words of support. They also recalled about other political
prisoners and discussed issues of human rights violations in Brest
district.
Hrodna
Hrodna
human rights defenders handed out several hundreds of postcards with
a portrait of Ales Biliatski and information about his situation. For
the two years, during which Ales has been kept in jail, Hrodna human
rights defenders regularly inform the people about him, including
public signing of postcards, issue of special envelopes and other
events.
As we have already written, Hrodna authorities
prohibited holding an informational picket timed to the second
anniversary of the imprisonment of Ales Bialiatski. The officials
violated the law by sending the action ban later than the legal term,
on 3 August, and just to a part of the applicants. On the other hand,
the police kept a vigilant watch in Kalozhski Park, where the human
rights defenders planned to hold their event.
Navapolatsk
On
4 August Navapolatsk activists of the Human Rights Center “Viasna”
handed out more than 150 colored postcards with Ales Bialiatski's
portait so that people could sign them and send to him.
The action was held
near the large shopping center “Streletski capital”. People paid
a positive reaction to the action and eagerly took leaflets, as many
of them have already heard about Bialiatski before. Some of them also
voiced their support to the human rights defenders.
Apart
from handing out the leaflets and postcards, Navapolatsk activists
wrote personal letters of support to each of the Belarusian political
prisoners, and continue gathering signatures under them among
activists of democratic organizations and parties.
Vitsebsk
The
staff reduction in Vitsebsk seems to have lead to a “system
failure”. The matter is that human rights defender Pavel Levinau
received an answer only to one of the three appeals for pickets in
support of Ales Bialiatski. In particular, the head of the
Kastrychnitski District Executive Committee of Vitsebsk V. Halanau
prohibited him to hold a one-minute picket in Svaboda Square, and
stated that even one-minute picket must be held not in Svaboda
Square, but in an unfrequented park, in presence of the police,
medics and street cleaners.
Meanwhile, the duty
officials of the Pershamaiski DEC gave no answers. The deputy head of
the Pershamaiski DEC T. Bahlai prohibited the human rights defender
to hold his picket in the officially authorized place, 30-hoddzia
VLKSM Park, whereas Mr. Levinau intended to hold his action at the
agitation ground, in the yard of houses 39 and 39-1 in Maskouski
Avenue. Thus, Mr. Levinau used this gift of the authorities and held
two pickets on 4 August.
Zhodzina
An action
of solidarity with the imprisoned human rights defender Ales
Bialiatski and other political prisoners was held in Zhodzina at 5-10
p.m. on 4 August.
Civil society activists and members of the
Human Rigths Center “Viasna” walked in the center of the city
wearing T-shirts “Freedom to Ales Bialiatski!”, rode their bikes
and handed out informational materials about the imprisoned human
rights defender, spoke with the people who asked questions and
photographed one another.
The overwhelming majority of people
accepted the information with understanding and sympathy, and some of
them even expressed hopes for the prompt release of Ales. Others
spoke about the negative situation in the country, the absence of an
independent court system and the repressive machinery, created by the
regime. None of the action participants were detained.
At the
end of the action its participants took a collective photo of
themselves in frong of a part of a large slogan “White-Black
Pride”, made by fans of the Zhodzina football team “Torpedo”.
