Ales Bialiatski visited Brussels and Strasburg

The head of Viasna human rights centre and Vice President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) arrived to Brussels on July 1.

The former political prisoner met with representatives of the European Union in order to express gratitude for their persistent efforts for his release, and to urge to continue the struggle for release of all political prisoners in Belarus and system-level changes in the situation with human rights and fundamental freedoms. The human rights activist has also called upon supporting the civil society of the country in the cause of the fight for democracy and human rights, the website of Viasna human rights centre informs.

European diplomats and journalists asked the leader of Viasna in detail about incarceration conditions and conditions of his release.

Ales Bialiatski, FIDH Director General Antoine Bernard and Sacha Koulaeva, head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Desk of the FIDH, met with EU Special Representative for Human Rights Stavros Lambrinidis, representatives of the European Commission and a number of EU countries’ ambassadors for foreign affairs.

On July 2 the trip of Ales Bialiatski is to be continued by a meeting in Strasbourg with the newly elected president of the European Parliament Martin Schultz, as well as with the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland, the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Anne Brasseur and the office of the Council of Europe’s Commissioner on Human Rights.

The visit will be concluded by a meeting in Paris with the Mayor of this city, who had granted Ales Bialiatski a title of the Honorary Citizen of Paris while he was still imprisoned.