Trial of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski begins in Belarus 5 hours in the past

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Byalyatski went on trial in Belarus on Thursday, going through as much as 12 years in jail in a case his allies see as political retribution for his rights work.

The 60-year-old, who co-founded the Viasna human rights group, and two different representatives of the group who additionally went on trial watched from inside a steel cage earlier than proceedings had been adjourned till Friday. All pleaded not responsible.

Mr. Byalyatski is without doubt one of the most outstanding of tons of of Belarusians who had been jailed throughout a violent crackdown on anti-government protests that erupted in the summertime of 2020.

He shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Russian rights group Memorial and Ukraine’s Middle for Civil Liberties final October, however had been arrested in 2021 together with the 2 co-workers from Viasna.

The trio face from seven to 12 years in jail on fees of financing protests and smuggling cash. Mr. Byalyatski has not commented on the allegations publicly and his lawyer is prohibited from disclosing details about the case.

Tv footage from the courtroom confirmed the three males seated on benches contained in the steel cage, handcuffed and in silence as proceedings started. A fourth rights defender who fled Belarus is being prosecuted in absentia in the identical case.

Viasna stated on Twitter that the choose had refused to conduct the trial in Belarusian as an alternative of Russian, and rejected Mr. Byalyatski’s request for a translator.

It additionally didn’t think about a request to take away {the handcuffs} and rejected an attraction by Mr. Byalyatski’s lawyer to free him from custody, the group stated.

Some 30 individuals had appeared on the courtroom, together with Western diplomats, however most weren’t allowed inside.

Viasna took a number one function in offering authorized and monetary help to tons of of Belarusians who had been jailed throughout mass protests that flared when long-time chief Alexander Lukashenko, in energy since 1994, claimed a landslide election victory in 2020.

“The allegations towards our colleagues are linked to their human rights exercise, the Viasna human rights centre’s provision of assist to the victims of politically motivated persecution,” the group stated of the case.

Mr. Byalyatski and his colleagues have been labelled “political prisoners” by fellow rights defenders. These rights advocates estimate there are round 1,500 political prisoners in Belarusian prisons.

Round 50,000 individuals have been detained for participating in protests or criticizing the authorities since 2020, they are saying.