“Paris for Ales Byalyatski” rally to be held in France

• 10.05.2012, 13:17

On 11 May a huge portrait of the vice-president of the International Federation for Human Rights Ales Byalyatski with the demand of his immediate release from prison will be hanged out on the façade of the Paris Mayor’s office.

The representative of the mayor on international issues Pierre Shapiro, the FIDH President Souhayr Belhassen and members of the FIDH Council, who will come to Paris from different parts of the world, will take the floor at the rally during which the portrait will be hanged out, the website of Paris Mayor Office informs.

Usually the Mayor’s Office of Paris hangs out portraits of French citizens who are held as hostages in other countries, spring96.org website informs.

Ales Byalyatski was arrested in August 2011. He was sentenced to 4.5 years in a medium security penal colony and confiscation of property for alleged tax evasion. The judgement was delivered on November 24, 2011, by judge of the Pershamaiski district court Syarhei Bandarenka. The reason for criminal prosecution of Byalyatski was information about his bank accounts disclosed to official Minsk by Lithuania and Poland. This money was used for human rights activities. It was impossible to open a bank account in Belarus, as Viasna human rights centre headed by Byalyatski, worked unofficially. Many times the authorities refused to register it. The political prisoner pleaded not guilty.