belarusian Ales Bialiatski, represented by his wife, Natallia Pinchuk; ukrainian director Center for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviychuk; and its representative Jan Rachinski Russian Memorial organization, defended the work of civil society and attacked Russia when it took it this Saturday. Nobel Peace Prize In Oslo City Hall.
“Ales and all of us know how important and risky it is to fulfill the mission of human rights defenders, especially at the tragic time of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Pinchuk said.
Bialiatski and two other organizations distinguished by “promoting the right to criticize power and protecting the fundamental rights of citizens”In addition to his effort to document war crimes, violations of human rights and power, he remembered Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairman of the Nobel Committee.
Reiss-Andersen stressed The award winners represent the “vital” role played by civil society “for peace and democracy” He made a special reminder to Bialiatski: “You are not alone, we are with you.”
wife stressed Nobel gives Belarusians “hope” He said they can count on the solidarity of the “democratic world” in their fight for their rights “no matter how long the struggle lasts”.
In his speech, Pinchuk referred to some of the previous statements that Bialiatski and others had made directly to him during the only visit he could make in almost a year and a half of his imprisonment.
“All of Belarus is in prison,” said Bialiatski through his wife, he also criticizes Moscow for supporting the Minsk regime, while demanding “justice” and free elections against those who commit “mass crimes”.
Matviychuk also directly referred to Russia, which he accuses of deliberately attacking civilians in order to break their resistance and invade Ukraine.
The Ukrainian activist, who opposed negotiations with Russia, gave the following assurance: there is a struggle between “authoritarianism and democracy” in your countryHe demanded that justice be changed, as well as the international security system, in order to be able to prosecute war crimes committed by the great powers and not between the two states.
“We must establish an international court and do what is necessary. putin, lukashenko and other war criminals brought to justice. Yes, a bold step. “But we must show, albeit belatedly, that the rule of law is working and that justice exists.”
In his speech, Memorial representative Jan Rachinski referred to the work of this organization documenting the oppression both in the Soviet Union era and in today’s Russia and surrounding countries.
“The number of political prisoners in Russia today is more than the total in the entire USSR at the beginning of the perestroika period in the 1980s.“He realized.
Rachinski argued that the concept of the State as the supreme value still prevails in today’s Russia, leading to impunity and the destruction of civil society.