Mr. Bialiatski is a veteran of the human rights movement in Belarus, establishing “Viasna” in 1996 in response to the brutal crackdown of street protests that year by Mr. Lukashenko, who has been president of Belarus since the office was established in 1994.
During the visit, welcoming speeches were delivered by Prof. Anatoli Mikhailov, founder, former Rector, and President of the EHU, and by Siarhej Chareuski, Lecturer at the EHU.
Ms. Natalia Pinchuk presented the biography of Ales Bialiatski to a large audience of distinguished guests from the Embassies of Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, Finland, and Estonia, who had the opportunity to see one of the last interviews with Ales Bialiatski, recorded before his recent imprisonment. Ales Bialiatski’s wife presented rare photographs of Ales Bialiatski from his childhood and university days, as well as from the protests he took part in together with his comrades, who were activists for the rights of political prisoners in Belarus.
The event was crowned by A. Ales Bialiatski’s friend’s speeches, delivered by: Vincuk Viačorka (a Belarusian linguist, politician, and former leader of the Belarusian Popular Front), Sergei Dubovets (Journalist, writer, radio “Svaboda”), Liudvika Kardzis (Head of Ivan Lutskevich Belarusian Museum in Vilnius), Alena Masliukova (Member of Human Rights Centre “Viasna”). Friends recalled the highlights of their time with Ales Bialiatski and shared their thoughts on the future perspectives of continuing Ales Bialiatski’s activities.
Ales Bialiatski was arrested in 2021 following massive street protests over widely disputed elections the previous year, and accused of smuggling cash into Belarus to fund opposition activity.
Earlier this year, a court in Belarus sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski to 10 years in prison.
