According to human rights organizations, there are at least 1,150 political prisoners in the country.
Support for the regime of authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko among Belarusians is minimal, emphasized Belarusian human rights activist and former political prisoner Ales Bialiatski during his visit to Prague. The founder of the organization "Viasna," one of the largest and oldest human rights structures in Belarus, has repeatedly faced imprisonment for his activities; he was last sentenced in 2023 and was released only three months ago. In Prague, Ales Bialiatski is holding meetings with representatives of civil society and politicians.
The program of the trip includes talks with the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel and Foreign Minister Petr Mačinka. Ales Bialiatski connects his visit with the opportunity to inform the Czech side about the current situation in Belarus and to express gratitude for the long-term support provided to the Belarusian opposition and Belarusian organizations in exile. "I will continue to do what I have been doing so far – I will fight for a free and independent Belarus," added the human rights activist.
In Ales Bialiatski's opinion, the situation in Belarus, where harsh repressions against regime opponents continue, has taken a back seat due to events in other parts of the world. According to human rights organizations, there are at least 1,150 political prisoners in the country, while the authorities continue to initiate new criminal cases on political grounds. "Repressions continue, we constantly observe new arrests," noted Bialiatski. He reminded of the suppression of mass protests following the presidential elections in 2020. At that time, he said, people took to the streets demanding the resignation of Alexander Lukashenko and the holding of free elections, but the demonstrations were brutally dispersed by security forces. Thousands of people ended up in prisons, many were forced to leave the country. Human rights organizations and independent media today cannot operate legally in Belarus, most of them are forced to remain in exile. In recent weeks, according to A. Bialiatski, repressions have also affected the cultural environment. For example, the authorities recognized the Belarusian PEN Center as an extremist organization, resulting in several independent publishers and figures in Belarusian culture being imprisoned.
Ales Bialiatski also drew attention to Belarus's role in Russia's war against Ukraine. "Belarus is the only military-political ally of the Russian Federation in this conflict. The Belarusian military-industrial complex is assisting the Russian army with supplies of weapons and ammunition, and the country's territory is being used for training Russian soldiers," explained the Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The human rights activist added that in Belarusian prisons, inmates are forced to produce goods for military-industrial enterprises or sew military uniforms. Bialiatski himself, according to him, was released thanks to negotiations by American diplomats with Alexander Lukashenko's regime. However, many of his colleagues remain in prisons, including lawyers, journalists, and other activists. Bialiatski also mentioned that A. Lukashenko hints at the possibility of exchanging prisoners for the easing of sanctions imposed by the West against Belarus for repressions and support of Russian aggression.
