From early morning police special forces guarded the courthouse and prohibited to police park the car near the court. The cage where guards put Bialiatski was shuttered. Human rights defenders have shared the opinion that this was done deliberately so that people do not see Bialiatski.
Lawyer Zmitser Layeuski had compiled several petitions:
– Release Bialiatski from behind bars, and postpone the trial as long as this does not happen
– Request documents from the organizations with which Bialiatski interacted
– Attach the receipt of the transfer to the record (the court granted the petion immediately )
– Attach documents regarding the purchase of the property by Bialiatski (court granted the petition immediately)
However, the court dismissed the cassational appeal and refused to change the preventive measure , despite the fact that on 18 January Natallia Pinchuk, the wife of Ales Bialiatski, transferred to the account of Minsk City Executive Committee of the Justice Department for the Pershamaiski district court 757 526 717 roubles – the amount that has been announced as the damage to the state allegedly caused by human rights defenderstate.
Human rights defenders demand Bialiatski’s release
On the same day, 24 January, a number of organizations – members and partners of the Human Rights House Network, called on the Belarusian authorities to immediately release and drop all charges against human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, completely exonerate him and ensure unhindered operations in the field of human rights.
“We regard imprisonment of Ales Bialiatski of August 2011 as a direct result of his legitimate human rights activities in Belarus,” – said in the appeal.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (a joint program of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)) also strongly condemned the decision according to which the sentence to imprisonment of chairman of of HRC “Viasna” and vice-president of FIDH, Ales Bialiatski was left unchanged.
The Observatory considers the persecution, detention and conviction of Ales Bialiatski as a prosecution of human rights defender for legitimate human rights work, protected by all international human rights standards. This criminal case was fabricated to intimidate and silence civil society in Belarus through repressions against all dissent with the regime, that intensified after the presidential election of 2010.
The Observatory remind that the other members of the HRC “Viasna” also faced persecution in recent weeks, including the deputy chairman Valiantsin Stefanovich. In addition, the sentence coming into effect today forced the HRC “Viasna” to leave their central office.
“This ruling is a travesty of justice. Receiving funding for human rights work is fully legitimate. It must not be criminalised but supported” – said Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of OMCT.
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