Фото: facebook.com/National.Endowment.for.Democracy
Chairman of the Viasna Human Rights Center and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski was presented with a Medal for Service to Democracy in Washington on September 10. The award was given by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) for his many years of work in human rights, freedom and democracy in Belarus, “Viasna” reports.
The NED highlighted Bialiatski’s contribution to defending democracy, as well as the fact that he endured imprisonment and persecution for resisting authoritarianism, documenting human rights violations and protecting people.
“Just nine months ago I was sitting in prison under harsh conditions and could not imagine that I would ever be free… Not for a single minute since my release have I forgotten that there are still more than 900 prisoners in Lukashenka’s prisons”, Bialiatski said.
“It is an honor for me to receive the Medal for Service to Democracy alongside outstanding people who fought for freedom and against totalitarianism, such as Václav Havel and Oswaldo Payá… Two years ago, you honored Belarusian democratic leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya with this medal, and now I am here — this is recognition of the freedom-loving aspirations of the Belarusian people, who want to live in an independent and democratic country …”, he added.
The award ceremony took place against the backdrop of new criminal proceedings against Bialiatski in Belarus. On August 5, he was put on a wanted list, and the human rights defender’s record appeared in the Interior Ministry’s database. The grounds cited were a criminal case, without specifying the article of the Criminal Code. According to him, there is currently no immediate threat to his personal safety, but he has to choose countries for travel more carefully and avoid states that could extradite him to the Belarusian authorities.
Bialiatski said he had no intention of ending his human rights work.
“This regime must be held legally accountable both for its involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and for the human rights catastrophe in Belarus. It is eradicating the Belarusian language and identity, and it has brought Belarus to complete dependence on Putin’s Russia, becoming in its hands a hybrid weapon against Ukraine and Europe”, the human rights defender stressed.
In his speech, he also called on democratic countries to maintain unity and not move closer to dictatorships.
“Thanks to sanctions and American diplomacy, the authorities in Minsk were forced to release several hundred political prisoners from prison. True, new political prisoners have already been recruited to take their place. These repressions must end forever and for everyone”, he said.
This year, along with Bialiatski, awards were presented to the anti-war clerical association Friede Allen – Peace Upon All, journalists from the Ethiopian publication Addis Standard, organizers of the “Spring Revolution” democratic movement in Myanmar, Cuban activists, and the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression.
The NED has presented the Medal for Service to Democracy since 1999 to individuals who have made a significant personal contribution to advancing freedom, human rights and democracy. Previous recipients include former Czech President Václav Havel, Polish politician and Solidarity leader Lech Wałęsa, and the Dalai Lama.