The court ordered to confiscate property of the defendant, including property registered to other persons, in order to execute a punishment. By desision of the court, Bialiatski has to pay 721 million loss and 36 million state tax.

The courtroom was attended by the ambassadors of Lithuania, the Czech Republic, heads of diplomatic missions of the USA, France, Germany, Hungary, as well as former presidential candidate Uladzimir Niakliayeu, writer Edward Akulin, and a number of journalists. After the delivering of judgment Bialiatski had time to shout “You cannot stop “Spring!”. In the lobby of the court people unfurled banner “You cannot stop “Spring!” in defense of Bialiatski.

In his last plea on November 23, Bialatski said: “I’m in a rather complicated situation, as I understand that this case from beginning to end had a political subtext. The statement of a lawyer and my last plea, unfortunately, resemble the voice of a man in a wilderness, who cannot reach anyone. And now I feel like the one that cries in the wilderness, trying to reach the sun. “

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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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