Viasna Human Rights Defender Valiantsin Stefanovich Becomes Laureate of the Franco-German Prize
The awarding of the Viasna human rights defender Valiantsin Stefanovich with the Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law took place on December 10, 2025, but for security reasons, the human rights defender's name was not officially published among the 15 honored human rights defenders from around the world at that time, writes Viasna.
It should be noted that Belarusians have previously been honored with this prestigious award: chairman of the Viasna Human Rights Center, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski (2019) and former chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the late Aleh Hulak (2021).
Valiantsin Stefanovich was detained on July 14, 2021, during a mass crackdown on human rights defenders in Belarus. In March 2023, the court sentenced him to nine years in a reinforced-regime penal colony on a fabricated politically motivated case. On March 19, 2026, Valiantsin, along with other political prisoners, was pardoned after a visit by John Cole, special envoy of US President Donald Trump.
The Franco-German Prize for Human Rights and the Rule of Law was established in 2016 by the foreign ministers of the two countries. It is awarded annually to human rights defenders, journalists, and activists from around the world for their outstanding contributions to the defense of democratic values and the rule of law, often under conditions of serious personal risk.
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