Nobel Prize-winning rights defender goes on trial in Belarus

Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Byalyatski was brought to trial in Belarus on Thursday (5 January). He faces up to 12 years imprisonment in a case that his allies view as political retribution.

The 60-year old, who co-founded Viasna's human rights group, and two other members of the group went on trial from inside a metal enclosure before proceedings were rescheduled for Friday. All three pleaded not guilty.

Byalyatski is one among hundreds of Belarusians who were arrested during the violent crackdown on protests against the government that broke out in the summer 2020.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Memorial in Russia and Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties. However, he was also arrested in 2021 with two Viasna coworkers.

On charges of funding protests and smuggling cash, the trio could spend seven to twelve years in prison. Byalyatski did not comment publicly on the allegations and his lawyer is forbidden from sharing any information.

Television footage of the courtroom showed three men sitting on benches within the metal cage. They were handcuffed as proceedings began and remained silent. In the same case, a fourth rights defender fled Belarus is being tried in absentia.

Viasna stated on Twitter that the judge refused to conduct the trial using Russian instead of Belarusian and rejected Byalyatski’s request for a translation.

The group also said that it did not consider a request for the removal of the handcuffs, and rejected Byalyatski’s appeal to be released from custody.

There were about 30 people who appeared in the courtroom, including Western diplomats. However, most of them were not permitted inside.

Viasna played a major role in providing financial and legal assistance to hundreds Belarusians jailed in protests that flared after long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko won a huge victory in 2020's election.

The group stated that the allegations against their colleagues were linked to their human right activity and the Viasna's assistance to victims of politically motivated persecution.

Byalyatski, along with his fellow rights defenders, have been called "political prisoner" by others. These rights advocates estimate that there are approximately 1,500 political prisoners inside Belarusian prisons.

They claim that around 50,000 people were detained since 2020 for participating in protests against the authorities.

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