Washington urges Belarusian government to free political prisoners

The United States on Friday called for the immediate release of human rights defender Ales Byalyatski and all political prisoners in Belarus.

In her statement, Marie Harf, deputy spokesperson for the US Department of State, said that August 4 was the second anniversary of the arrest of Mr. Byalyatski, who was later sentenced to four and a half years in prison.

“Byalyatski provided legal and practical support to victims of political repression and their families, and catalogued human rights violations,” said the statement.

“We honor Byalyatski’s work to protect the weak and uphold the highest standards of human rights despite harassment by Belarusian authorities.”

The statement said that the United States looked forward “to a day when enhanced respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus allows us to improve bilateral relations.”