Belarus Transfers Nobel Laureate Ales Bialiatski to Solitary Confinement Amid Increased Repressions

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ales Bialiatski, serving a 10-year sentence on charges he denies, moved to solitary in prison known for harsh conditions; Belarusian authorities deny him access to his lawyer in bid to tighten repression.

• Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski was recently moved to solitary confinement in a Belarusian prison, a move seen as an escalation of the Belarusian government's repression of dissent.
• Bialiatski, a leading advocate for human rights in Belarus, was convicted with three colleagues in March on charges of financing actions violating public order and smuggling — charges he denies. He is currently serving a 10-year sentence.
• The prison where Bialiatski is held, a colony for repeat offenders in Gorki, is known for harsh treatment of inmates, including beatings and hard labor.
• Bialiatski, who shared the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize with a Russian human rights group and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, is also the founder of Viasna, Belarus' most prominent human rights group. Viasna has been labelled an 'extremist organization' by Belarusian authorities.
• Viasna representative Pavel Sapelka warns that Bialiatski's move to solitary confinement constitutes a 'significant tightening of prison conditions' and could involve restrictions on walks, meals, and food deliveries.

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