Ales Bialiatski's associate had been behind bars since July 2021. He was sentenced to nine years in a penal colony.
Valiantsin Stefanovich after his release
Valiantsin Stefanovich was among the political prisoners released on March 19, reported Viasna.
Valiantsin Stefanovich, a member of the Viasna Council and Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), was detained on July 14, 2021. On that day, law enforcement officers searched not only his home but also the Viasna office, as well as the homes of dozens of other civil society activists across the country.
The trial in the "Viasna case" only began in early 2023. Along with Stefanovich, the head of the organization Ales Bialiatski and the coordinator of the "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" campaign Uladzimir Labkovich were also tried. Another defendant, Zmitser Salauyou, was tried in absentia as he was abroad.
The human rights defender was charged under Part 2 of Article 243 of the Criminal Code (evasion of taxes on a particularly large scale). According to the prosecution, human rights defenders brought money into Belarus to help victims of repression and pay for lawyers.
After a year of detention, the case under this article was dropped, but a new charge was brought — under Part 4 of Article 228 (smuggling) and Part 2 of Article 342 of the Criminal Code (financing group actions that grossly violate public order).
On March 3, 2023, Stefanovich was sentenced to 9 years in prison. He did not admit his guilt. He served his sentence in penal colony No. 15 in Mahiliou. In December 2023, Valiantsin was transferred for six months to a cell-type facility (PCT) "for violations." His wife and three children were waiting for him at large.
Bialiatski and Labkovich were released with the help of American diplomats on December 13.
Valiantsin Stefanovich with his family. Photo from personal archive / spring96.org
Valiantsin Stefanovich was born in 1972 in Minsk. He graduated from secondary school No. 11. After serving in the army, he graduated with honors from the Faculty of Law of the International Institute of Labour and Social Relations, and worked as a lawyer at the Minsk Bearing Plant.
While still a student, he participated in actions of the Belarusian Popular Front, and in 1994, he was an observer from the BPF in the first presidential elections in Belarus.
In 1996, Stefanovich co-founded "Malady Front" (Young Front), and in 1997, he was elected co-chairman of the organization, but soon left it. In March 1997, he was detained for the first time at a protest action and served 5 days of administrative arrest.
In September 1998, he joined the human rights organization "Viasna-96." At that time, it was registered as a city public association. Two years later, he became its deputy chairman.
Valiantsin Stefanovich (right) together with Ales Bialiatski. 1998. Photo: spring96.org
In autumn 2011, the tax inspection of Partyzanski district fined Valiantsin Stefanovich for incomplete tax payment. The reason for this was information about foreign bank accounts of Viasna's leaders, which Lithuania handed over to official Minsk. This same information became the basis for charging Viasna chairman Ales Bialiatski, who was then sentenced to 4.5 years in a penal colony with confiscation of property.
On July 14, 2021, Stefanovich was imprisoned on charges of "tax evasion." While under investigation in October 2022, he was re-elected Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).
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