Алесь Беляцкий. Фото: пресс-служба Светланы Тихановской
Ales Bialiatski, head of the Viasna Human Rights Centre and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said there were no grounds to speak of a thaw in Belarus. He made the remarks on October 15 at the Freedom Summit in Vilnius.
Bialiatski spoke about the human rights situation in Belarus and thanked everyone working to secure the release of political prisoners. He also called for solidarity with Belarusian democratic society.
“There are no grounds to speak of a thaw,” Viasna quoted him as saying.
He also outlined the criteria that Belarusian human rights organisations propose using to assess the situation in the country. These include the release of political prisoners; the ability of Belarusians who have been deported or left the country to return home without hindrance; an end to repression and politically motivated persecution in all forms; and a moratorium on repressive legislation.
“The release of political prisoners is not enough for us; we need freedom,” the head of Viasna said.
The Freedom Summit was held in Vilnius on October 15. It was organised by Lithuania’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the international human rights organisation Freedom House. Participants included Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys, Freedom House President Jamie Fly, head of Belarus’s United Transitional Cabinet Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Ukrainian journalist and former prisoner at the Izolyatsia detention facility in Donetsk Stanislav Aseyev, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, democratic movements and human rights organisations from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.
The forum aimed to develop practical recommendations for governments and international organisations on supporting democratic movements and protecting people from repression.