Ales Bialiatski receives Lieŭ Sapieha award in Warsaw

According to Polskie Radio, on July 13 in Warsaw the head of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski was awarded the prize Lieŭ Sapieha.

Famous Belarusian human rights activist, writer and former political prisoner Ales Bialiatski was to have received the award back in 2012, but couldn't do it as he was doing a term in the Belarusian prison. That's why the award is passed to him only now.

While receiving the award Ales Bialiatski noticed that today Belarus has a lot of work for the human rights defenders, including those related to the aid to victims of political repression and their families.

Director of East European Studies Jan Malicki, who presented the award, said that Ales Bialiatski was originally not the tenth, but the seventh holder of Lieŭ Sapieha award, but was unable to receive it in 2012, behind held behind bars.

Lieŭ Sapieha is under the patronage of the President of Poland. Its purpose is to award the citizens of Belarus, who have made important contributions to the formation and development of civil society in the country, as well as taken an active part in the formation of an independent and democratic Belarus, facing towards Europe.