On 21 June 2014 it was reported by AP and others that prominent Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiatski was finally released from prison that day. The 51-year-old leader of the NGO Vyasna, was released 20 months ahead of schedule. Supporters greeted Bialiatski at a train station in the capital, Minsk, after he traveled from prison.”The international support and the support back home, this is what brought about my release,” Bialiatski told reporters, “I will continue to do what Ive been doing.” [6 people remain in prison for political activism, including former presidential candidate Nikolai Statkevich]
for earlier posts on Ales Bialiatski: https://thoolen.wordpress.com/tag/ales-bialiatski/
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 
March 24, 2020 at 20:20
[…] to Viasna Chairman Ales Bialiatski [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2014/06/22/good-news-ales-bialiatski-belarus-best-known-human-righ…], the award is a clear signal to the Belarusian authorities as an incentive to serious reforms in […]