On 2 August, the head of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, vice-president of FIDH Ales Bialiatski has been officially charged under Part 2 of Art. 243 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus – “Concealment of income on a large scale”. Two-month custody in Minsk pre-trial detention facility №2 was chosen as a measure of restraint against the accused.

Human right defender Uladzimir Labkovich believes that bringing an official charge is a politically-motivated decision and prosecution for civic activities.

“It’s an entirely trumped-up case. There is no doubt that the accounts found by the investigation, are not source of income. And it is absolutely clear. This prosecution for civic activities and another attempt to create fear. We can only express regret for the fact that EU countries were involved in this. Expressing support for civil society, they did not provide information safety, which makes them morally responsible for the situation around Ales Bialiatski and other human rights defenders, “- said Labkovich (left).

According to the chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak (right), the detention and accusation of Bialiatski of “concealing income” is “yet another scandal, which creates one more barrier between the official Minsk and the rest of the world.”

“It’s not a matter of taxes, this is a matter of politics. The effect that government expected to get appeared to be much smaller than those negative consequences at the international level and within the country. “

Commenting on the transfer of human rights defenders’ account information by Poland and Lithuania, Aleh Hulak said that the European community must act adequately and seriously.

 “The Belarusian authorities are much more consistent and, unfortunately, effective than the Europeans in achieving their goals, even if they are short-term.”

Around 400 guarantees for Bialiatski collected
As of 15 August, about 400 vouches have been collected in support to the release of Chairman of Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Bialiatski.

Citizens of Minsk, Barysau, Mahiliou, Baranavichy, Zhodzina, Maladzechna, Hrodna and other Belarusian cities subscribed the vouches in support of Ales Bialiatski. Personal guarantees are still being collected and the human rights defenders set themselves the task to collect at least thousand of vouches across Belarus.

Guarantees will be collected throughout the world, and Belarusian human rights defenders believe that many world famous personalities will sign on to this statement, as did the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner, prominent Iranian human rights defender Shirin Ebadi.

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Bialiatski was detained on 4 August near the Victory Square in Minsk and brought to the office of his NGO for a search. His apartment in Minsk and summer house outside the Belarusian capital were also searched.

According to the Department of financial investigation of Committee on governmental control, Ales Bialiatski has to pay around 150 million rubles or 29 thousand US dollars at National Bank exchange rate, from the money transferred to his account in Lithuanian bank. The colleagues of Bialiatski say that this funds were directed to help the victims of Belarusian regime. In 2003, licence of “Viasna” was cancelled, therefore the human rights defenders had to look for different ways to continue their activity.

Article 243.2 of the Belarusian Criminal Code “Tax evasion on an especially large scale” provides for an imprisonment for up to seven years and confiscation of property.

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