In a troubling development, the wife of Ales Bialiatski, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and pro-democracy activist in Belarus, has revealed that Belarusian authorities are denying him access to necessary medication while his health continues to deteriorate. Bialiatski, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence, suffers from serious chronic illnesses. Despite efforts by his family to provide him with medicine, the authorities are refusing to pass it on to him. Bialiatski was arrested following the mass protests that took place after the rigged election in 2020, which resulted in President Alexander Lukashenko securing a sixth term in office. Belarus is known for its harsh treatment of political prisoners, with at least six prisoners having died behind bars. Bialiatski is being held in a prison where inmates are subjected to physical abuse and forced labor. He is also prohibited from receiving correspondence or making phone calls to his loved ones. The wife does not hold hope for Bialiatski's release, as she believes Lukashenko will not grant him freedom [1a21cfd2].
This latest revelation adds to the growing concerns about the treatment of activists and political prisoners in Belarus. Human rights activists claim that the authorities deliberately create unbearable conditions for prisoners, including denying them access to medical care. The wife of Bialiatski has highlighted the dire situation faced by her husband and the numerous other political prisoners in Belarus. Currently, there are 1,405 political prisoners being held in the country. The international community continues to condemn the actions of the Belarusian authorities and call for the release of all political prisoners [1a21cfd2].
In a recent development, dozens of Nobel Prize laureates have joined the call for the release of political prisoners in Belarus. They are urging President Alexander Lukashenko to release all political prisoners, including Ales Bialiatski. The Belarusian human rights group Viasna has identified nearly 1,400 political prisoners in the country, including Bialiatski. The letter from the Nobel laureates emphasizes the importance of following through with more releases and highlights the names of the signatories, including literature prize winners Svetlana Alexievich, J.M. Coetzee, and Herta Müller, as well as peace prize laureates Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Oscar Arias, Jody Williams, Shirin Ebadi, Tawakkol Karman, Juan Manuel Santos, Dmitry Muratov, and Maria Ressa [30727aca].