Nobel Laureate and Activist Ales Bialiatski Sentenced to 10 Years in Belarusian Prison
By Ann M. Simmons, March 3, 2023, WSJ
Putin has given Lukashenko financial and military support, bolstering his embattled junior partner and binding Minsk more tightly to Russia. Lukashenko has publicly supported Putin’s war in Ukraine. Last year, Minsk allowed Moscow to use Belarusian
territory to launch part of its invasion of Ukraine and Lukashenko has since said that he would permit Putin to stage further attacks from his country.
At a press conference in Minsk last month, Lukashenko denied that his govt has jailed people for political reasons, saying govt opponents were incarcerated for breaking the law.
“There is a law—the law is bad, the law is harsh, but it is the law,” he said. “You have to follow it. If you have broken the law, you will be held responsible according to the law.”
Pavel Sapelko, a lawyer for Viasna, said that although Friday’s sentencing was “a serious wound” for Viasna, it wouldn’t deter the group from continuing to fight.
“We will not stop collecting evidence of the totalitarian regime’s crimes, speaking the truth about the human rights situation in Belarus, and supporting the victims whose rights and freedoms have been violated,” he said in a statement.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/nobel-laureate-and-activist-ales-bialiatski-sentenced-to-10-years-in-belarusian-prison-8bc0fe26
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