Two Years after the Crackdown: Voices of Belarusian Human Rights Defenders

To commemorate the two-year anniversary of the government crackdown on peaceful post-election protests in Belarus, Freedom House held an open discussion featuring three prominent Belarusian human rights defenders (pictured on left): Zhanna Litvina, Natallia Pinchuk, and Tatsiana Reviaka. Pinchuk’s husband Ales Bialiatski is currently serving a-four-and a-half year sentence due to his efforts to assist those arrested in the December 2010 protests.  When asked about her husband's current situation, Pinchuk described Bialiatski and other prisoners' deteriorating health, stating, “The authorities are trying to test how much the world community will tolerate.” Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) also engaged in the discussion, urging the current administration to take a strong stand, asserting, "We should be yelling for [Natallia’s] husband’s release."

View photos of the event here.
Read the article & watch the interview: "David Kramer: Europe should stop backing Lukashenka
Learn more about human rights in Belarus.