Front Line has received with great sadness news of the death of human rights defender Yana Paliakova in Belarus on 7 March 2009. Yana Paliakova was sentenced to two and a half years of "restraint of liberty" on 3rd of March after a Salihorsk District Court found her guilty of violating article 400, part 2 of Criminal Code -- "deliberate false accusation."

Further Information

Yana Paliakova had been the subject of ongoing harassment from the authorities including defamation and assaults by the police. For further information on this please see the original Front Line Urgent Appeal on behalf of Yana Paliakova

According to human rights defenders in Belarus, Yana Paliakova was particularly targeted by local police due to her courageous defence of victims of police brutality. Reports indicate that Yana Paliakova committed suicide.

Human right defender Valery Shchukin who had observed her trial commented, "I spent a day with her after the trial, and she was saying one thing: "I am not going to be a prisoner".

The day before her death, on 6 March 2009, a defamation article about Yana Paliakova was published in the most important state-owned newspaper Sovetskaya Belorussia.

"The tragic death of Yana Paliakova is a grievous blow for all those working for human rights, " said Front Line Director, Mary Lawlor, "sadly it is so often those like Yana who courageously work to defend the rights of others who suffer the most. Our thoughts are with her family."