Opposition leader: Whole world responsible for freeing Bialacki from prison

December 11, BPN. The whole world needs to be fully committed to freeing the Nobel Peace Prize winner Aleś Bialacki and the thousands of Belarusians imprisoned in politically-motivated cases, Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja said at a rally in Oslo.

“Nobel Peace Prize laureates know very well the value of freedom, and pay a very heavy price for it,” she noted. “Belarusian human rights defender, and also my friend Aleś Bialacki was not able to receive his prize. The dictatorial regime in Belarus has put him in prison. He is being held in subhuman conditions. But even from prison, he continues to inspire us to fight on.”

The path to freedom is never easy, she said paying tribute “to every Belarusian, and every Ukrainian, who in spite of such terror and fear continue to fight.”

Current events in Belarus and Ukraine represent a struggle between freedom and tyranny, the politician noted. “None of us here are spectators” she summed up. ” We are fighters. We are defenders of freedom. And our fight is a global one. None of us can be free until everyone is free.”

On December 10, Cichanoŭskaja attended the Nobel Peace Prize award ceremony. Natalla Pinčuk, Bialacki’s wife, received the prize for her husband who is held in a Belarusian prison.