On Human Rights Day, December 10, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, together with Belarusian human rights organizations, asks you to express solidarity with Belarusian human rights defenders, including Ales Bialiatski, founder of “Viasna” human rights center, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and one of almost 1.400 political prisoners in Belarus.
Since Lukashenka’s regime came to power in 1994, human rights defenders have been under constant attack. Human rights organizations have been denied registration, and lawyers have had their licenses revoked for defending political activists and reporting on their detention conditions or violations of fair trial guarantees.
Nevertheless, in 2020 Belarussian human rights defenders stood firmly against the cruelty of Lukashenka’s regime, fearlessly documenting the crimes of law enforcement authorities and defending activists in court. Some of them later faced politically motivated charges and faced trials themselves. All human rights organizations were closed, among hundreds of other NGOs.
Ales Bialiatski was unlawfully detained and is now awaiting trial. Ales received the news of winning the Nobel Peace prize in a dark basement cell, severely restricted from correspondence. His arrest and trial were Lukashenka’s shameful attempt to silence the voices of freedom.
On December 10, express your solidarity with Ales Bialiatski and other Belarusian human rights defenders.
These are the ways you can support our human rights defenders:
- Make a statement, initiate and adopt resolutions in support of Belarusian HR defenders. In your public statements, address Belarusian human rights defenders and Ales Bialiatski personally.
- Write a tweet/social media post or make a video in support of Ales with the hashtag #StandWithBelarus or tag Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (Twitter: @Tsihanouskaya).
- Raise the issue of the human rights crisis in Belarus in international organizations like the UN, OSCE, etc.
- Consider easing visa processes for Belarusians and help those who relocate from Belarus.
- Solidarity with the political prisoners and their families: write letters or become a patron of political prisoners in Belarus. Check the Viasna Human Rights Center website to learn more about political prisoners. Support political prisoners and their families by donating to funds such as A Country to Live In, BySol, and #BY_help.
- Organize or participate in an in-person solidarity event with Belarus in your city. Universities can organize public lectures and discussions on the work of Ales Bialiatski or public readings of his books.
