Solidarity action
Support political prisoners in Belarus.
We invite you to join the solidarity action with political prisoners in Belarus.
There are currently more than 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus. But these are official figures. This number is much higher. Cultural activists alone are in prison for more than 130. The repression of the Belarusian government is gaining momentum, with many social activists as well as cultural creators being convicted and arrested for 'anti-state activities'.
A few days ago, more than 100 Nobel Prize winners launched an appeal for the release from prison of Ales Bialiatski, last year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
As part of the 'Culture in Exile' event at Villa Decius, we will be holding solidarity actions with political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Belarus.
On 3 and 4 June, portraits of political prisoners with their biographies will be placed in front of Villa Decius as part of a solidarity action led by the Belarusian Centre for the Defence of Human Rights "Viasna".
In addition, throughout the event it will be possible to sign letters and postcards expressing support and solidarity, which will be sent to political prisoners in Belarus.
On Sunday, 4 June at 14.00, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of democratic Belarus and candidate for the 2020 presidential election, who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a Belarusian court in March 2023, will speak.
On 4 June at 5.30 p.m., we invite you to a meeting with Tatyana Niadbay (President of the independent Belarusian PEN Club ) around the book on Ales Bialiatski, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Belarusian opposition activist, founder and leader of the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights 'Viasna'.
At the end of the two-day event, we invite you at 18.30 to the presentation of a book by Taciana Astrouskaya, published by the Belarusian Centre for the Defence of Human Rights "Viasna", combined with a solidarity action with prisoners of conscience in Belarus.
Centre for the Defence of Human Rights Spring (Belarusian: Праваабарончы цэнтр "Вясна") is a Belarusian human rights organisation. It was founded in 1996 by Belarusian social activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. In 2003, a Belarusian court liquidated the organisation. A year later, the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights Spring joined the International Federation for Human Rights. In 2012, the Belarusian authorities closed the organisation's office located in Minsk. Amnesty International considered the closure of the organisation's office "a flagrant violation of Belarus' international human rights obligations". The organisation took an active part in reporting on human rights violations by the Belarusian authorities, including during the 2010 and 2020 protests, and described the situation of political prisoners in Belarus. Following the 2020 protests, a number of the organisation's members (including board member Valencin Stefanovich, lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich and its director Ales Bialiatski) were arrested by the Belarusian police.
There are currently more than 1,500 political prisoners in Belarus. But these are official figures. This number is much higher. Cultural activists alone are in prison for more than 130. The repression of the Belarusian government is gaining momentum, with many social activists as well as cultural creators being convicted and arrested for 'anti-state activities'.
A few days ago, more than 100 Nobel Prize winners launched an appeal for the release from prison of Ales Bialiatski, last year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
As part of the 'Culture in Exile' event at Villa Decius, we will be holding solidarity actions with political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in Belarus.
On 3 and 4 June, portraits of political prisoners with their biographies will be placed in front of Villa Decius as part of a solidarity action led by the Belarusian Centre for the Defence of Human Rights "Viasna".
In addition, throughout the event it will be possible to sign letters and postcards expressing support and solidarity, which will be sent to political prisoners in Belarus.
On Sunday, 4 June at 14.00, Svetlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of democratic Belarus and candidate for the 2020 presidential election, who was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison by a Belarusian court in March 2023, will speak.
On 4 June at 5.30 p.m., we invite you to a meeting with Tatyana Niadbay (President of the independent Belarusian PEN Club ) around the book on Ales Bialiatski, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Belarusian opposition activist, founder and leader of the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights 'Viasna'.
At the end of the two-day event, we invite you at 18.30 to the presentation of a book by Taciana Astrouskaya, published by the Belarusian Centre for the Defence of Human Rights "Viasna", combined with a solidarity action with prisoners of conscience in Belarus.
Centre for the Defence of Human Rights Spring (Belarusian: Праваабарончы цэнтр "Вясна") is a Belarusian human rights organisation. It was founded in 1996 by Belarusian social activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski. In 2003, a Belarusian court liquidated the organisation. A year later, the Centre for the Defence of Human Rights Spring joined the International Federation for Human Rights. In 2012, the Belarusian authorities closed the organisation's office located in Minsk. Amnesty International considered the closure of the organisation's office "a flagrant violation of Belarus' international human rights obligations". The organisation took an active part in reporting on human rights violations by the Belarusian authorities, including during the 2010 and 2020 protests, and described the situation of political prisoners in Belarus. Following the 2020 protests, a number of the organisation's members (including board member Valencin Stefanovich, lawyer Uladzimir Labkovich and its director Ales Bialiatski) were arrested by the Belarusian police.