The head of the Viasna Human Rights Centre and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski has personally received in Oslo the Nobel diploma and the Nobel laureate’s insignia three years after the award, DW Belarus reported. The founder and head of the Viasna Human Rights Centre was welcomed at the Norwegian Nobel Institute by Nobel Committee Chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes.
The human rights defender attended the ceremony with his wife Natallia Pinchuk, who represented him at the prize ceremony in 2022.
According to Bialiatski, the process of releasing political prisoners will continue.
“And now this is probably the most important issue for us. Human rights defenders, journalists and civil activists are still in prison. And, of course, this level of fear and pressure on society has not eased, despite the fact that we were released. Therefore, it is very important to continue pressure on the Belarusian government, on Lukashenka, so that all prisoners in Belarus are released,” he stressed.
“And, by the way, Lukashenka also said that it would be good if Trump received this prize, but I will not comment on these statements. I believe this is the decision of the Nobel Committee, and it is quite sovereign, and I think it is their right. We can only discuss it, comment on it, but nothing more,” the human rights defender added.
Ales Bialiatski was detained on 14 July 2021 and sentenced to 10 years in a penal colony. He was found guilty of smuggling by an organized group and financing group actions that grossly violated public order. He was released on 13 December together with 122 other political prisoners.
Ales Bialiatski became the laureate of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize together with the Russian organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian organisation Centre for Civil Liberties.
