Bialacki lawyers petition UN group on arbitrary detention

December 21, Pozirk. International lawyers for Aleś Bialacki, Belarus’ imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate, have petitioned the United Nations’ Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Viasna center said today.

The lawyers said that the Belarusian government imprisoned Bialacki and other Viasna leaders in retaliation for their human rights activities.

From the outset, accusations against him were aimed at restricting his freedom of speech and association, while Alaksandar Łukašenka and his media publicly proclaimed the Viasna leader guilty, “completely ignoring the presumption of innocence,” the legal team said, according to a press release in Belarusian.

He was unjustly detained for 17 months before officials brought him to trial, they said. The trial itself “was marred by egregious violations of due process.”

Maryna Zapaśnik, a judge sanctioned by the European Union for handing down guilty verdicts against peaceful protesters, sentenced him to 10 years in prison in March.

The working group investigates cases of alleged arbitrary detention for compliance with international standards. In October, it ruled that Belarusian journalist Ihar Łosik was detained and jailed solely for his professional activities.