Nobel Prize-winning human rights defender Ales Byalyatski goes on trial in Belarus
- Byalyatski is one of the most prominent of hundreds of Belarusians who were detained during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in 2020
- The 60-year-old, who co-founded the Viasna human rights group, shares the prize with Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski went on trial in Belarus on Thursday, facing up to 12 years in prison in a case his allies see as political retribution for his rights work.
The 60-year-old, who co-founded the Viasna human rights group, is one of the most prominent of hundreds of Belarusians who were jailed during a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that erupted in the summer of 2020.
Byalyatski, who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Centre for Civil Liberties in October, was arrested in 2021 along with two colleagues from Viasna.
The trio face from seven to 12 years in prison on charges of financing protests and smuggling money. Byalyatski has not commented on the allegations publicly and his lawyer is prohibited from disclosing information about the case.
Television footage from the courtroom showed the three men seated on benches inside a metal cage, handcuffed and in silence as proceedings began.
A fourth rights defender who fled Belarus is being prosecuted in absentia in the same case.