Ales Bialiatski: Belarus begins trial of Nobel Prize winner

Imprisoned human rights activist and Nobel Prize winner Ales Bialiatski went on trial in Belarus on Thursday, with allies viewing the proceedings as a government attempt to quell dissent.

The 60-year-old Bialiatski founded Viasna, the country's most prominent human rights organization. He was given the Nobel Prize in October in absentia for his work, along with Russian human rights organization Memorial and Ukrainian human rights organization Center for Civil Liberties. 

What do we know so far about the trial and court proceedings?

Bialiatski, along with his Viasna co-workers Valentin Stefanovich and Vladimir Labkovich, face seven to 12 years in prison on the charges of smuggling money to finance opposition activists.

The fourth defendant, Dmitry Solovyov, is being tried in absentia in the case after he escaped Belarus to neighboring Poland.   

Viasna posted photos on Twitter, showing Bialiatski sitting in the defendants' cage in the courtroom in Minsk. Viasna said the judge Maryna Zapasnik refused to hold the trial in the Belarusian language instead of Russian, and denied Blialiatski's request for a translator. 

Bialiatski, Stefanovich and Labkovich were taken into custody in July 2021, amid a wave of anti-government demonstrations against Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko. The trio were originally detained on tax evasion charges. 

Lukashenko's clampdown on civil society 

Viasna gave substantial support to the anti-Lukashenko protest movement, giving financial aid to hundred of Belarusians who were detained during the civil unrest. 

"The allegations against our colleagues are linked to their human rights activity, the Viasna human rights center's provision of help to the victims of politically motivated persecution," Viasna said.  

Lukashenko claimed victory in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election, despite concerns from the US, Germany and the EU that the ballot process was not free or fair. Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya fled the country following the election, with Tsikhanouskaya often speaking out against the regime from Poland. 

In addition to the mass arrests of anti-government protesters, Belarusia's government has engaged in the sweeping shutdown of regime-critical NGOs. The regime has also restricted and censored news outlets, with the government classifying DW content as "extremist."  

wd/aw (AFP, Reuters)