Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize to Ales Bialiatski

The Norwegian Helsinki Committee congratulates the Belarussian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski with the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. - Ales Bialiatski has devoted his life to the fight for human rights, democracy and freedom for all citizens of Belarus. As our good friend and collegaue we have seen how his work has made a tremendous impact on so many people lives. I can hardly imagine a more well-deserved prize, says Secretary General Bjørn Engesland.

Ales Bialiatski is still in jail, serving a 4,5 years prison sentence he received in November 2011 for tax evasion. The case was obviously poitically motivated, and the NHC is looking forward to the day we can congratulate Ales in person with the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize.

In 2006, Ales Bialiatski received the Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s Andrei Sakharov Freedom Award for the work he and his organisastion Viasna (Spring) has done for several years to promote human rights and democracy in Belarus. Ales is also nominated to this years Nobel Peace Price.

The Havel Human Rights Price is awarded by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in partnership with the Vaclav Havel Library in Prague and the Czech Charter 77 Foundation. It is worth 60,000 euros.