Author: Andrews Seitas
VILNIUS (Reuters) – Supporters of jailed Belarusian Nobel peace laureate Ales Bialyadsky said on Thursday the human rights activist should be included in the biggest East-West peace talks since the Cold War Prisoner exchange in progress.
Bialyadsky and other allies of imprisoned Belarusians are disappointed they were not included in the exchange program in which eight Russians, including a convicted murderer, were exchanged for 16 in Russian and Belarusian prisons. prisoners, many of them political dissidents.
Some Russian dissidents freed in the exchanges, including opposition activist Ilya Yashin, expressed anger or reservations on Friday about being deported against their will.
Bialjazki, 61, is serving a 10-year sentence for financing anti-government protests in a 2023 trial that was condemned as a “scam” by the United States and the European Union. Bell Peace Prize, a year before he received the Nobel Peace Prize.
“When we heard that the deal was coming, we hoped that people from Belarusian political prisoners would definitely be part of it. First of all, of course, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureates,” Viasna member Alena ‧Alena Masliukova said.
“It’s completely disappointing and we still haven’t gotten over it,” said Maslyukova, who now lives in exile in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.
Among those released in this week’s exchange was German citizen Rico Krieger, who was sentenced to death in Belarus on terrorism charges. There are 1,390 people imprisoned for political reasons, many in connection with mass protests 4 years ago.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, faces mass protests after the disputed 2020 presidential election, the biggest challenge to his rule.
He has long denied accusations of human rights abuses.
Viasna said activists were still being dragged to court for their role in the protests, and Maslyukova said political prisoners faced poor conditions in prison.
“They are kept in cold cells with no contact with relatives. They leave prison in compromised health,” she said.
Bialyadski voluntarily returned to Belarus in 2021 even though he knew he could face arrest, which supporters said meant he might be reluctant to leave the country again, a process that legally requires prisoners to petition for clemency.
“I know his character and I am convinced that there is no way he can ask for a pardon from Lukashenko,” said Siarhei Sys, a longtime friend. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in five years… it all depends on his health.”
