ENFIN LIBRE! – Paris welcomes Ales Bialiatski’s release
The portrait of Ales Bialiatski, which was installed in front of the city’s 11th district hall, now features an inscription “Free at Last!”
As promised by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, the portrait of Ales Bialiatski, which was installed in front of the city’s 11th district hall, now features an inscription “Free at Last!” The French capital thus welcomes the release of the Belarusian human rights defender, an honorary citizen of Paris, Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
On June 30, Ales Bialiatski is expected to arrive in Paris, which hosts FIDH headquarters.
The Human Rights Center “Viasna” has been member of the International Federation for Human Rights since 2004. In 2007, Ales Bialiatski became the first FIDH vice-president from Eastern Europe and has been twice (in 2010 and 2013) re-elected to this post. In May 2012, during an action “Paris for Ales Bialiatski!” a portrait of the political prisoner was installed in Leon Blum Square, and in October of the same year the city administration awarded Ales Bialiatski with the title of Honorary Citizen of Paris. On December 10 last year, Human Rights Day, the award was received by Ales Bialiatski’s son, as the human rights activist was in prison.
