Алесь Беляцкий. Фото: Stina Stjernkvist/Right Livelihood Foundation
Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna Human Rights Center and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is establishing The Ales Bialiatski Foundation.
The organization has been registered in Poland and will operate at the strategic intersection of human rights, peacebuilding and regional security, strengthening the global human rights alliance amid an unprecedented geopolitical crisis, Viasna reports.
“When I regained my freedom at the end of 2025, I saw a transformed world filled with profound global uncertainty. In the first months after my release, I consulted with colleagues from the Viasna Human Rights Center, Nobel Peace Prize laureates, dozens of civil society leaders and diplomats. I met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and several heads of state. I spoke with long-time colleagues and human rights defenders from around the world. These conversations confirmed the need for new forms of cooperation and moral leadership. That is why I established a new organization in Poland. I will dedicate to it my time, my energy, my network of contacts and part of the funds received from the Nobel Peace Prize,” Bialiatski said.
The Ales Bialiatski Foundation will focus on strategic and global challenges. Its work will be built around five key areas: human rights, peacebuilding, international justice, civil society resilience and the human dimension of regional security.
The organization identifies as top priorities the promotion of innovative models of global accountability and rights protection, as well as countering the growing threat of transnational repression.
Particular attention will be paid to developing intergenerational dialogue and supporting international youth and civic leadership. A system of fellowships and mentorship programmes is planned to provide emerging leaders with the skills and international networks necessary for effective work.
Sasha Kulaeva, an expert with experience in senior positions at international non-governmental organizations and a lecturer in human rights and international relations at international universities, has been invited to serve as Director for Strategic Development, Advocacy and Partnerships.
Bialiatski stressed that his unwavering priority remains support for a free and sovereign Belarus. He will remain head of Viasna, but his personal focus will increasingly shift to the international arena.
“For 30 years, except for the time I spent in prison, I have led Viasna. In recent years, I have focused mainly on strategy, analysis, global education and international activities. Together with my colleagues at Viasna, I continue this important work for Belarus. But today the scale of the crisis requires a different contribution from me. I believe I must work more actively at the international level, drawing on the moral capital of the Nobel Peace Prize, the international experience gained during my years as vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights, my membership in PEN International, and the experience acquired through decades of struggle against dictatorship and political repression.
As a member of the global community, I feel a responsibility to defend the universality of human rights at a time when the very concept is under threat,” Bialiatski said.