Ales Bialiatski calls on the Danish MFA not to decrease the level of demands to the Belarusian regime

December 1 in Copenhagen, Chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Martin Lidegard.

During the meeting, Ales Bialiatski noted that the situation in Belarus in the field of human rights and democracy remains unchanged. "The society is under the total control of the regime, there are political prisoners, repressions against the civil society activists and opponents of the regime. Independent journalists are persecuted. Belarus is sorely lacking free air."

The activist believes that his release from jail is a result of the great pressure exercised on the Belarusian regime on the part of the international community. Ales Bialiatski called Europe not to decrease the level of demands to the Belarusian regime, which are based on the international agreements signed by Belarus, as well as to support the efforts of civil society to democratic reforms in the country.

"Our society is waiting for a clear signal from the European Union on recognition of a European future for the Belarusian people," said Ales Bialiatski.

Let us remind that in 2011 Ales Bialiatski was convicted for a period of 4.5 years on politically motivated charges. He has spent almost three years in jail and was released on June 21, 2014 under an amnesty in which he had been previously denied because of "numerous violations of the regime of penalty". During the whole term of his imprisonment countries of the EU, the United States and international human rights organizations demanded that the Belarusian authorities released the prisoner of conscience, immediately and unconditionally.