Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya declared 10 December as the International Day of Solidarity with Ales Bialiatski and Belarusian human rights defenders, dedicated to Human Rights Day and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski. 

  • 131 MPs from 21 countries called for the release of Belarusian Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialiatski.
  • Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, Lithuanian foreign missions and ambassadors: “Today, on Human Rights Day, the Nobel Prize for Peace should be delivered to Ales Bialiatski. However, he is imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime. The same as more than 1400 other Belarusian political prisoners and more than one million activists around the world”. 
  • Secretary of State of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Livia Leu: “The work of human rights defenders is more relevant than ever”.
  • Vice President of the German Bundestag Katrin Göring-Eckardt voiced her support for Ales Bialiatski. President of Switzerland’s Evangelical People’s Party Lilian Studer expressed her solidarity, too. 
  • The Missions of the EUGermanyPoland, and the UK to the OSCE sent letters to political prisoners in Belarus. 
  • Embassy of Canada to Poland: “On Human Rights Day, we express our solidarity with Ales Bialiatski, founder of the Viasna Human Rights Center, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize winner, and one of almost 1,400 political prisoners in Belarus”.
  • US Embassy in Minsk: “When the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded today, Ales Bialiatski will be in his cell, awaiting trial as he has for 448 days. He should be in Oslo, receiving his Peace Prize for promoting the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens”.
  • Sweden’s former Minister for Foreign Affairs Ann Linde: “Today the incredible human rights activist Ales Bialiatski received his Nobel Prize. But the Belarusian regime has put him in prison, together with thousands of other Belarusians claiming their right to democracy, freedom and human rights. They must be released”.
  • PEN Belarus announced a book about Ales Bialiatski.
  • The Norwegian Helsinki Committee held a meeting with representatives of the Viasna Human Rights Center. 
  • Civil Rights Defenders: “This is an important recognition of all the brave people fighting for democracy, peace, and human rights in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and across the region”. 
  • The Human Rights House Foundation congratulated Ales Bialiatski on the Nobel Prize. 

Source: Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya