It has been confirmed that Ales Bialiatski and Vladimir Labkovich, human rights defenders of the Viasna Human Rights Centre, who spent years in prison for their peaceful human rights activities, have been released in Belarus.
The Viasna Human Rights Centre is an independent Belarusian human rights organization that monitors human rights violations, provides legal assistance to victims of repression, and engages in international advocacy. The organization’s activities were shut down by the authorities, and in 2023, the Viasna Centre was declared extremist, and its employees were subjected to criminal prosecution.
- Ales Beliatski, founder of the Viasna in 1996 and winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, was imprisoned on charges related to his human rights activities, recognised as a political prisoner, and released in December 2025.
- Vladimir Labkovich, a Viasna lawyer who was involved in defending human rights, in particular working on the initiative ‘Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections,’ was convicted for his activities in an organisation recognised as extremist and released in December 2025.
It is also worth mentioning Valentin Stefanovich, Deputy Head of the Viasna, an expert on human rights and international law, Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), who was included in the lists for release, but there is currently no confirmed information about his liberation.
The Belarusian authorities have released a number of human rights defenders, but the full list of political prisoners remains unclear.