Belarus activist
freed from prison
The Associated Press
MINSK, Belarus -- A prominent Belarusian human rights activist was released from prison Saturday in a move seen as a gesture from the authoritarian leader of Belarus to improve relations with the West.
Ales Bialiatski, the 51-year-old leader of the Vyasna rights group, was released nearly three years into his prison sentence, 20 months ahead of schedule.
Bialiatski was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 and received an array of international awards while imprisoned, including the U.S. State Department's 2011 Human Rights Defenders Award. His group has provided legal assistance to thousands of Belarusians arrested or imprisoned for challenging President Alexander Lukashenko's undemocratic policies.
He was convicted of tax evasion and sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison in November 2011. Western governments criticized the trial as politically vindictive.
Supporters greeted Bialiatski at a train station in the capital of Minsk after he traveled from prison in the city of Bobruisk.
"The international support and the support back home, this is what brought about my release," Bialiatski told reporters. "I will continue to do what I've been doing."
Bialiatski said he was treated "badly and brutally" in prison, including regular periods of solitary confinement.
A Section on 06/22/2014