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US embassy expresses concern about arrest of Ales Byalyatski

The US embassy in Minsk has expressed concern about the arrest of prominent Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski.

“The August 4 detention of Vyasna 96 leader Ales Byalyatski is extremely troubling and represents another, unfortunate sign of Belarus’ self-isolation and further deviation from European standards and principles,” the embassy says. “In democratic societies, independent NGOs like Vyasna 96 — who the government continues to refuse to register – play a crucial role in the all important system of checks and balances. Recognizing this, societies pass laws creating conditions for the ‘third sector’ to function and flourish. They do not try to marginalize civil society by denying registration and harassing and detaining NGO members.” //BelaPAN