Human Lives Human Rights: The UN Human Rights Office on Friday said that we are gravely concerned by the trial of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski which started in Belarus on Thursday.
Bialiatski faces up to 12 years in jail. Two other representatives of his Viasna Human Rights Center are also facing prison sentences.
We have serious concerns about the conduct of their trial, the UN office said.
The trio are among hundreds detained after a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2020. Bialiatski was previously jailed from 2011 to 2014.
The trio are accused of smuggling, illegal movement of cash across the customs border, and financing group actions “grossly violating the public order.”
We call for the charges against them to be dropped, and their immediate release from detention.
As we mark the 75th anniversary this year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the High Commissioner has called for an end to arbitrary detention once and for all.
It is worth to mention that the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Bialiatski on Oct. 7, for devoting his life to “promoting democracy and peaceful development in his home country.”
