Vilnius unveils jailed activist’s image in front of Belarusian embassy

December 21, BPN. Officials in Vilnius have unveiled a large mural depicting Belarus’ Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights defender Aleś Bialacki.

Local artists painted the portrait of the jailed Viasna Human Rights Center head on a wall facing the Belarusian embassy.

Bialacki, his deputy Valancin Stefanovič and coordinator of the Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections campaign Uładzimir Łabkovič were arrested in July 2021 on tax evasion charges.

The charges were dropped in September 2022, only to be followed by accusations of smuggling and training protesters.

Last October, Bialacki co-won the peace prize with human rights organizations Memorial, Russia, and Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine.