Authorities Want to Deprive Ales Bialiatski of Place of Residence

Ales Bialiatski, the head of the human rights center Viasna, has received a ruling from the department of enforcement of judgments that a part of his flat (in which he lives with his family) falls under arrest.

The ruling (see the copy below) from the Partyzan district department of enforcement of judgements, dated January 4, 2016 and signed by Gostelo M.M., says that the department has at its disposal a writ of execution № 1-978/2011 dated November 24, 2011 of the Pershamajski district court of Minsk. According to the writ of execution, 18/100th share of Ales Bialiatski’s flat, in which he lives permanently with his family, shall be arrested as part of the property to be confiscated, within his criminal case of 2011.

Remarkably, the writ of execution was transferred to the department of enforcement of judgements only on December 14, 2015.

Just to remind, on November 24, 2011, the head of the human rights center Viasna Ales Bialiatski was sentenced to four and a half years’ imprisonment with property confiscation – including the flat in which the HRC Viasna was located. The office of the organization was arrested yet before the trial. On November 26, 2012, it was sealed by officers of the Pershamajski district court (judicial letter dated 26.11.2012). All the property of the organization staying there was confiscated and moved away. As it was impossible to continue using the flat, members of the HRC Viasna had to leave it.

The orders of confiscation were appealed against in the Partyzan district court of Minsk on July 4, 2012, and the arrest on a share of the flat where Ales Bialiatski lived with his family was removed.

Thus, four years later after the court decision was announced, it looks as if the authorities not only decided to confiscate the flat where the HRC Viasna was located, but, in fact, to deprive the human rights defender of the place of residence.

Ales Bialiatski supposes that the recent appeal of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) to Belarusian authorities could account for the sudden change of mind of the Ministry of Justice.

“It looks to me that the confiscation order could be linked to the recent letter sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminding that the decision of the UN Human Rights Committee in my criminal case has not been fulfilled. One of the demands was annulment of the criminal conviction from my criminal record. Perhaps, our activity at an international level could have sparked such reaction from the authorities – to demand implementation of a court decision that is four years old,” says Ales Bialiatski.

The human rights defender has appealed against the confiscation. “I had a possibility to appeal against the ruling, which I’ve done, based on the fact that I live in this flat together with my wife,” said Ales Bialiatski.