US to award Belarusian 'human rights defender' in Warsaw

Bialiatski: photo - Włodzimierz Pac/PR

Ales Bialiatski, who leads the Viasna Human Rights Centre in Belarus is currently serving a four and a half year sentence in a penal colony after a court in Minsk found that he failed to pay taxes on money in bank amounts held in Poland and Lithuania.

Bialiatski said the money was reserved for charitable purposes and the sentence was condemned by the EU, Council of Europe, European Parliament and OSCE, which called for his immediate and unconditional release.

The Human Rights Defenders Award is granted to individuals or non-governmental organizations in recognition of exceptional courage and leadership shown in the defense of human rights and democracy in the face of government repression.

During today's ceremony in Warsaw, US Ambassador Lee Feinstein will read out a statement by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, saying the award is “in recognition of his achievements, dedication and fearless attitude."

No opposition politicians elected

Meanwhile, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has said Belarusian parliamentary elections on Sunday, boycotted by opposition parties, was "not competitive from the start" because of limited choice for voters, a lack of impartiality by authorities and an absence of proper counting procedures by the election commission.

Not a single opposition politician was elected to the 110 seat lower house of parliament.

The US State Department's Victoria Nuland said on Monday that Belarus must show better respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus, including the release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners, "remains central to improving bilateral relations with the United States." (pg)