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Petition demanding release of rights defender Ales Byalyatski delivered to Belarusian embassy in Lithuania

A petition demanding the release of imprisoned human rights defender Ales Byalyatski and other political prisoners was delivered to the Belarusian embassy in Vilnius on August 6.

The petition, which had been signed by more than 200 people representing 21 countries, was handed to the Belarusian ambassador by Belarusian and Lithuanian activists, said the Vilnius-based Belarusian Human Rights House.

"We demand that the Belarusian authorities stop pressure and the persecution of representatives of the country's civil society and human rights defenders, as well as bring Belarus' laws into line with international standards in the sphere of human rights defense," the petition said.

On November 24, 2011, Mr. Byalyatski was sentenced to four and a half years in prison on a charge of large-scale tax evasion. The charge stemmed from information about his bank accounts abroad, which was thoughtlessly provided by authorities in Lithuania and Poland under interstate legal assistance agreements. During his trial, Mr. Byalyatski insisted that the money transferred by various foundations to his bank accounts abroad had been intended to finance Vyasna’s activities and therefore could not be viewed as his income subject to taxation.

He is serving his sentence in a correctional institution in Babruysk, Mahilyow region. //BelaPAN