Belarusian human rights activist Ales Bialiatski, winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, believes that Belarus is reverting to a Soviet-era mindset after several years in detention. Released on Saturday as part of a US-brokered agreement, he spoke from exile in Vilnius.
Arrested in 2021, Bialiatski was held in a penal colony, without free access to information. He explains that he only learned of his Nobel Prize award by chance, from other inmates. At the time, he says he didn't believe the announcement, as it seemed so improbable given the context of his imprisonment.
A central figure in the defense of human rights in Belarus for decades, Bialiatski believes that the current repression has intensified since the massive 2020 protests against President Alexander Lukashenko. According to him, the country is experiencing a profound political and social closure, marked by fear, surveillance, and the imprisonment of numerous opposition figures and activists.
Despite its expansion, he believes the domestic situation remains bleak and that the work of human rights defenders will be long and difficult. According to him, Belarusian activists will need to demonstrate patience and perseverance in the face of a system he considers increasingly authoritarian.
Bialiatski stressed, however, that his release, like that of other political prisoners, constitutes a sign of hope, however limited, and recalls in his view the importance of international pressure to obtain progress, however modest, in the field of fundamental rights.
