Alesi Bialyatski (60), a Belarusian human rights activist who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year while imprisoned, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including public order violations on the 3rd (local time), according to reports from AP and others.
Bialyatski led the Belarusian human rights organization 'Viasna (Spring)' and was accused of organizing illegal protests and bringing in donations through overseas accounts without reporting. The Belarusian court found him guilty of these charges and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.
Additionally, fellow activist Valyanchyn Stepanovich, who was tried alongside Bialyatski, was sentenced to 9 years in prison, and another colleague, Uladzimir Lavkovich, who fled Belarus and was tried in absentia, received an 8-year sentence.
Previously, Bialyatski was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in 2011 for collecting support funds for imprisoned political prisoners and tax evasion, but was released after serving two and a half years.
However, he was arrested again in July 2021. The main reason was that he led protests against the 'fraudulent election' after President Alyaksandr Lukashenka secured a sixth term in the 2020 presidential election, extending his long-term rule.
In October last year, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Viasna, the human rights organization he belongs to, in recognition of his dedication to promoting human rights and democracy in Belarus, known as 'Europe's last dictatorship.'
Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, stated on the day, "The verdict against Bialyatski is tragic, and we regret that he must continue his struggle while imprisoned."
She added, "This verdict shows that the Belarusian regime does not tolerate freedom of expression and opposition."
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