U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the prison sentence of Belarusian opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Bialatski.
Bialatski, a prominent critic of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a Belarusian court on corruption charges, The Hill reported. Bialatski was initially arrested in 2011 and has been held in detention ever since.
"We condemn today's sham court ruling sentencing Nobel-winner Ales Bialatski and 3 others to 7-10 years imprisonment in an attempt to suppress democracy and human rights in Belarus," Blinken posted on Twitter March 3.
According to a State Department release published Jan. 17, the Department of State imposed visa restrictions on 25 individuals under Presidential Proclamation 8015 for their involvement in undermining democracy in Belarus. The move was in response to Lukashenko's administration's continued repression of the country's people, including the politically motivated trial of pro-democracy leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, among other activists. The DOS worked to impose visa restrictions on 322 individuals since the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
"We will not stand by as this regime continues to harass and repress peaceful protesters, the democratic opposition, journalists, unionists, activists, human rights defenders and everyday Belarusians," Blinken said in the release.
Bialatski's supporters argued his charges are politically motivated, and he's being punished for his opposition to Lukashenko, according to The Hill. The sentencing has also been criticized by human rights organizations, who have rallied for Bialiatski's freedom.
The U.S. Mission in Belarus issued a statement regarding the Lukashenko administration's use of lengthy prison sentences as a tool of repression since the country's fraudulent presidential election in August 2020.
"Mr. Bialiatski and his colleagues have demonstrated their decades-long commitment to safeguard the independence of Belarus and insist on its democratic character," the statement read. "Viasna is a pillar of the global community of human rights defenders. The United States stands by their side and in support of their efforts.
"We call on Belarusian authorities to release Mr. Bialiatski, Mr. Stefanovich and Mr. Labkovicz, who were tried in person, and each of the more than 1,400 political prisoners in Belarusian jails," the statement continued. "We call for an end to the repression of Belarusian democratic forces and civil society. We recommit ourselves to continue to support the aspirations of the Belarusian people for a democratic, sovereign and stable future."
According to the Economic Intelligence Unit, less than half of the world's population resides in a democracy, and democracy has been globally stagnant for the past 15 years, which researchers attribute to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions on civil liberties.
The EIU warned authoritarian governments have used the pandemic to grow their power and weaken democratic institutions, also emphasizing the digital era has brought democracies new struggles such as misinformation, social media and cyber attacks. Belarus is currently ranked 149th out of 167 countries in regards to democracy and is labeled as an authoritarian regime with a democracy rating of 2.25 out of 10.
