Consortium members of “EUROBELARUS" speak in favour of Ales Bialiatski

Representatives of the International Consortium "EUROBELARUS" speak in favour of Ales Bialiatski and characterise his detention as politically motivated prosecution.

 

As said Ulad Vialichka, co-chairman of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, head of the International Consortium "EUROBELARUS", similar persecutions of people are unacceptable and inadmissible. The reaction to the detention of Ales Bialiatski should be reflected in the statements of National Platform of the Civil Society Forum and of international organizations. According to Ulad Vialichka, what is happening demonstrates that civil society in Belarus is being consistently pressed on, and the pressure is now passing into a new stage - persecution of human rights’ defenders.

In support of Ales Bialiatski has also spoken a director of the Centre for European Transformation Andrei Yahorau. According to him, belarussian law enforcement agencies already do not have confidence of the people, and through detention of human rights’ defender they discredit themselves even more.

Head of the Center for Legal Transformation Elena Tonkacheva has noted that the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" and, in particular, Ales Bialiatski took over most of the work associated with the support of victims of repressions after the events of December, the 19^th of 2010 in Minsk. It is thanks to quick and coordinated activity of the Center that human rights’ activists were able to organize fines’ payments, payments of legal assistance and support of the families of those people who have been subjected to political persecution.

"Right now, the authorities by the instrumentality of the Financial investigations department, are trying to cease the possibility of an independent joint financial assistance to victims of political repressions," - says Elena Tonkacheva. According to her, detention of Ales Beliatsky is a vivid example of persecution for human rights’ activity in Belarus. The head of the Center for Legal Transformation has no doubt that the pressure on Ales Bialiatski will cause the most severe reaction of the international community.

The head of the Human Rights Centre "Viasna" Ales Bialiatski was arrested on August, the 4^th after three days of interrogations at the Financial investigations department of the Committee of state control. He was detained as a suspect in a criminal case brought under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal code (evasion of taxes and fees on a large scale). The maximum penalty for this article stipulates imprisonment for up to seven years with confiscation of property.

 
Information service of "EUROBELARUS"