For a month, there has been no contact with the Belarusian opposition activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialatski. Following his trial he was transferred to a maximum security penal colony in the city of Horki in early May, the Voice of America radio portal reported, citing Natalia Pinchuk, the oppositionist’s wife.

Ales Bialiatski, associates shifted to penal colonies

The Nobel Prize winner and the head of the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna Ales Bialiatski and his two associates Valiantsin…

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She claims that the prison where Bialatski is kept is known for its harsh conditions and is a place for repeat offenders.

The transfer of the Nobel Peace Prize winner and the head of the Belarusian human rights organization Viasna – and two of his associates – from detention to penal colonies, was announced at the beginning of May.

Bialatski was sentenced to 10 years in prison after a rigged trial in which he was charged initially with “non-payment of taxes” and later with “smuggling” and “protest financing.” The leader of the opposition organization Viasna, along with two activists, was detained in July 2021 and has been behind bars since.

Bialatski was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2022.