Pro-government Telegram channels in Belarus said on August 23 that the Interior Ministry has labeled Minsk-based Vyasna human rights center, its online resources, and dozens of websites linked to it as extremist. Vyasna's chairman, Ales Byalyatski, the country's top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, along with four of the center's activists are serving lengthy prison terms on charges of financing or organizing actions violating public order and smuggling. They deny the charges. Rights watchdogs and Western governments have demanded the immediate release of Byalyatski and his associates. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Belarus Service, click here.
Belarus Labels Vyasna Human Rights Center, Headed By Nobel Laureate, As 'Extremist'
Vyasna is headed by Ales Byalyatski, Belarus's top human rights advocate and one of the winners of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. Rights groups and Western governments have demanded his release from prison.