Paris to demand the release of Ales Byalyatski

Action "Paris for Ales Byalyatski" will be held on May 11, the website of the City Hall of Paris informs.

At the rally in support of Byalyatski will speak the representative of the mayor of Paris for International Affairs Pierre Schapira, President of the International Federation of Human Rights Souhayr Belhassen, as well as board members of the International Trade Unions Federation, which in this day will come from different countries in Paris, where the international secretariat of the organization is situated.

Usually, City Hall of Paris hangs portraits of French citizens who find themselves held hostage in other countries, says the human rights website www.spring96.org.

Ales Byalyatski was arrested in August last year and since then has been detained. In November Minsk Piershamaiski Court found him guilty of concealing the incomes in a large-scale, and sentenced the human rights activist to four and a half years imprisonment in a maximum security colony with confiscation of property. The basis for the prosecution was the presence of Byalyatski's foreign bank accounts in Lithuania and Poland. This money was used for the human rights activities. To open accounts in Belarus was not possible, because the Human Rights Center "Viasna", which is headed by Byalyatski is working illegally - the authorities have repeatedly refused to register it. The convicted didn't admit his guilt.

At present, Ales Belyatsky is serving the sentence in the penal colony number 2 in Bobruisk, where he was transferred in late February.

The human rights activist is working in the garment factory of the colony as a packer.

The international democratic community, the leadership of the European Union, the United States and other countries consider Byalyatski the political prisoner and call for his release.

Parliamentarians of 27 countries - members of the Council of Europe supported the nomination of Ales Bialiatski for the Nobel Peace Prize.

In March, the convicted human rights defender was awarded the Norwegian Writers' Union Price "For the freedom of speech", which is awarded for "outstanding contribution to the protection of freedom of speech and tolerance". Among the winners of this award in previous years have been a Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Amos Oz from Israel, Dawit Isaak from Eritrea and other prominent personalities who are known for their struggle to defend the right to express an opinion in their countries.