"My return is definitely to prison." Ales Bialiatski – on Poczobut's example and the possible real number of political prisoners

On the risk of being imprisoned upon returning to Belarus: "It's 100% already, no chances here"

Let's recall that former political prisoner and activist of the independent Union of Poles, Andrzej Poczobut, who was released in April this year as part of an exchange between Minsk and Warsaw, visited Belarus in September, where he met with his family and activists of his organization. In late October, he stated that he plans to return to the country for permanent residence soon.

"Zerkalo" asked Nobel Peace Prize laureate, former political prisoner, and head of the "Viasna" Human Rights Center, Ales Bialiatski, if he would like to achieve the same opportunity for himself – to arrange a return to Belarus or at least a trip there.

— Poczobut's experience is unique because an entire state now stands behind him. Economic and political relations with Poland are tied to Andrzej. And he, of course, tests these relations with his fate. Today they are normal, but tomorrow, if they worsen, what will happen to him? — the human rights defender reflects.

He believes that Poczobut is playing a dangerous game.

— You are playing with an unpredictable side, with an unpredictable system that considers you a disposable commodity, — Ales Bialiatski believes.

For himself personally and for other Belarusian human rights defenders, the Nobel laureate sees no possibility of returning to the country.

— Any activity is persecuted, and if you consistently take a certain stance there, it's dangerous, and it will all end very badly. Criminal cases are initiated against activists who permanently live abroad. Several thousand such cases have been launched over these years. In August, a criminal case was opened against me, — Bialiatski notes.

It should be noted that the new criminal case against Bialiatski became known in August when the Nobel laureate's data appeared in the search database of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. In April, information emerged that his Belarusian passport had been annulled.

— My return is definitely to prison. It's 100% already, no chances here. So, it will be more effective now if I live somewhere outside of Belarus. But I am confident that the time will come, and as soon as there is such an opportunity, I will return there, — Bialiatski emphasizes.

On the probable real number of political prisoners: "Add another 20%"

"Zerkalo" also asked Bialiatski what, in his estimation, the real number of political prisoners in Belarus might be. The human rights defender replied that one should focus on a figure "a little over a thousand."

It should be noted that, according to "Viasna"'s estimates, as of November 3, 887 people have been recognized as political prisoners in Belarus.

— No one can say for sure. For example, when we were released, we looked [at the list of known political prisoners at that time] and added five or six people from my penal colony. This resulted in another 10-15% of those who were already there and who were imprisoned with us, — Bialiatski explains. — If you make a similar correlation, then currently, according to Belarusian human rights defenders' calculations, there are about 900 people [on the list]. Well, add another 20%.

To the question of how many people are serving sentences in politically motivated cases but are not recognized as political prisoners, the head of "Viasna" replied that such a category does not exist in their approach.

— If a person is convicted under a "political" article and we know about it, then he is definitely a political prisoner . There are people about whom we don't know, because the courts are closed. Or if relatives are afraid [to inform us], or they are not there, or if the person himself does not want this information to reach [human rights defenders], then that's it, we don't know about him, — Bialiatski noted.

The Nobel laureate compared the situation in Belarus with the situation in Azerbaijan.

— This is approximately the same kind of country as Belarus, but practically no one talks about it. There are also political prisoners there, about 400 people are in prisons (at the beginning of October this year, local human rights defenders stated that 322 people in that country were arrested and convicted on political grounds, and they are silent about them, pretending they don't exist. And that's it: no questions, no sanctions, and people are imprisoned. Our numbers are larger, but it turns out that our position — that we are part of the European community and part of Europe — is very important. At least, double standards, which I see, for example, in the situation with Azerbaijan, are not applied to us, — Bialiatski summarized.

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