A jailed Belarus Nobel laureate should be released from prison, supporters say
Vilnius: Supporters of jailed Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bilyatsky said the human rights activist should be included in the biggest East-West prisoner swap since the Cold War on Thursday.
Biliatsky's aides and other jailed Belarusians are upset that they were not included in the swap, which saw eight Russians, including a convicted murderer, swap 16 prisoners, many of them dissidents, between Russian and Belarusian prisons.
Some of the Russian dissidents released in the swap, including opposition activist Ilya Yasin, expressed anger or objection on Friday at being deported from their country against their will.
Biyatsky, 61, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for financing anti-government protests in a case condemned by the US and the European Union as a “stalemate”, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022 – a year after his arrested
“When we heard that the agreement was imminent, we hoped that someone from the political prisoners of Belarus would definitely be a part of it. First of all, of course, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate,” said Elena Maslyukova, a member of Viasna – a human rights organization founded by Biliatsky.
“It was a complete disappointment, and we still haven't gotten over it,” said Masliukova, who now lives in exile in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.
Among those released in this week's swap was German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death on terrorism charges in Belarus, a close ally of Russia, where – according to Viasna – 1,390 people are in prison for political reasons – most of them linked to the mass protests. far ahead
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, faced massive opposition after a disputed 2020 presidential election – the biggest challenge to his rule.
He has long dismissed allegations of human rights abuses.
Viasna says activists are still being hauled up in court for their role in demonstrations, and Masliukova said political prisoners faced harsh conditions in prison.
“They are kept in cold cells without contact with their relatives. They leave the prison with poor health,' she said.
Biliatsky voluntarily returned to Belarus from exile in 2021, despite knowing he faced arrest, with supporters saying he may not be willing to leave the country again, a process that legally requires a prisoner to apologize.
“I know his character and I'm sure there's no way he'll apologize to Lukashenko,” said longtime friend Siyarhi Sis. “I don't know what will happen in five years … it all depends on the state of his health.”
