Take Action Now: Human rights defenders remain in detention (Belarus)
Belarusian human rights defenders Ales Bialiatski, Valyantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich remain in pretrial detention and face trumped up charges in retaliation for their human rights work with the Human Rights Center Viasna. Nina Labkovich who was detained with them was released on July 23, 2021.
On July 14, 2021 Belarus law enforcement officers broke into and searched the offices of at least a dozen major Belarusian civil society and human rights organizations and opposition groups, as well as the homes of civil society leaders.
The list of those targeted included the human rights group Viasna, Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the human rights group Human Constanta, the independent academic research centre BEROC, the human rights group Gender Perspectives, World Union of Belarusians Batskaushchyna, Belarusian People’s Front opposition party, “For Freedom” pro-democracy movement and Imena publishing house. At least 12 people were arrested on July 14, 2021
Some were released in the following days but Viasna chair Ales Bialiatski, Viasna vice chair Valyantsin Stefanovich, the organization’s lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich and his wife Nina Labkovich, were transferred to a pretrial detention centre on July 17, 2021. Nina Labkovich was subsequently released on July 23, 2021.
This is just the last instance of a coordinated and systematic campaign to stifle human rights defenders and any form of criticism of the authorities in Belarus following the post-election protests that started in August 2020.
Take action now - call on the Belarusian authorities to release Ales Bialiatski, Valyantsin Stefanovich and Uladzimir Labkovich. Please write before September 28 2021.
