Human Rights Centre 'Viasna'
The Human Rights Centre Viasna (HRC Viasna) is a human rights organization based in Belarus, which was founded in 1996 by activist Ales Bialatski. The organization works to promote human rights, provides practical assistance to civic initiatives for the legal defence of citizens, and conducts research into the state of civil society and legal defence in Belarus. HRC Viasna plays a prominent role in order to protect human rights in Belarus, especially after the 2020 Presidential election. HRC Viasna provides legal assistance to political prisoners and their families and documents the violations of human rights in Belarus.
After the wave of violence that followed the presidential election of December 2010, the human rights situation in Belarus deteriorated rapidly and remains poor after the crackdown. Human rights defenders (HRDs) are subjected to intimidation and harassment, including judicial harassment, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly, movement, arbitrary detention and ill-treatment. In the lead up to the 2015 presidential elections, 6 political prisoners, including President Lukashenko's main rival, were pardoned.
