Nobel Prize winner Bialacki, associates on trial in Minsk

January 5, BPN. The trial of Viasna Human Rights Center leader Aleś Bialacki and his associates Valancin Stefanovič and Uładzimir Łabkovič has opened at the Leninski District Court in Minsk.

Human rights defender Źmicier Sałaŭjoŭ, who has fled the country, is tried in absentia as part of the same case.

The investigators accused human rights defenders of smuggling cash across the border and financing protests but the case is widely regarded as politically motivated.

Judge Maryna Zapaśnik, known for convicting regime critics, presides over the proceedings.

In an interview with SB.by, Investigative Committee Deputy Chairman Anatol Vasilleŭ described Viasna as a “quasi-rights center” focused on monetary gain rather than advocacy.

Bialacki, Stefanovič and 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.

Last October, Bialacki won the Nobel Peace Prize together with human rights organizations Memorial, Russia, and Center for Civil Liberties, Ukraine.