Ales Bialiatski

Ales Bialiatski is a Belarusian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. He is the founder of the Viasna Human Rights Centre, which provides legal and financial assistance to political prisoners and their families in Belarus. Bialiatski has been a prominent figure in the Belarusian pro-democracy movement for decades. He was imprisoned in Belarus on politically motivated charges. He is newsworthy because he was recently released from prison as part of a larger release of 123 political prisoners in Belarus. This release occurred after the United States agreed to lift sanctions on Belarusian potash, a key export. The release followed talks between Belarusian officials and a special envoy of the US President. Bialiatski's release, along with other opposition figures like Maria Kolesnikova, marks a significant development in the relationship between Belarus and the West, potentially signaling a shift in the Belarusian government's approach to political dissent, though the long-term implications remain to be seen.