Rally held in Vilnius to mark imprisoned right defender’s birthday

September 25, Pozirk. About 30 activists have held a rally in downtown Vilnius to mark the 62nd birthday of human rights defender Aleś Bialacki imprisoned in Belarus.

Bialacki is deprived of substantive contacts with his associates, except for his wife, said Pavieł Sapiołka, a lawyer with the Viasna Human Rights Center, noting that information about him usually comes with a considerable delay.

“We know exactly that he should not be in the colony. We know exactly that he is not guilty of any crime. That a Nobel Prize laureate is held in the colony is a serious challenge for the whole democratic world,” he said.

In March 2023, Viasna founder Bialacki was sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with his advocacy work, his associates Valancin Stefanovič and Uładzimir Łabkovič, to nine and seven years in prison, respectively.

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