English

Ales Byalyatski begins to study his case file

Prominent Belarusian human rights defender Ales Byalyatski, who is now in detention on a charge of tax evasion, has started to study his case file.

“We can say that the investigation of his case has in fact been completed, as he and his lawyer have been studying the case file since Friday,” Mr. Byalyatski’s associate, Uladzimir Labkovich, told BelaPAN.

Mr. Labkovich said that the trial might begin in the second half of October, and that the case might be heard behind closed doors.

Mr. Byalyatski, chairman of a Minsk-based human rights group called Vyasna (Spring) and vice president of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), has been held in a detention center in Minsk since August 4.

On August 12, he was formally charged with large-scale tax evasion, an offense that carries a penalty of a “restricted freedom” term of up to five years or a prison term of three to seven years.

The charge stems from information about Mr. Byalyatski’s bank accounts abroad, which was provided by authorities in a number of European countries.

Mr. Byalyatski’s associates insist that the money in his bank accounts abroad should not be viewed as his personal income, as it was contributed by various foundations and intended to finance Vyasna’s activities.

Mr. Byalyatski turned 49 on September 25. // BelaPAN