Ales Byalyatski’s wife stated on Friday that he could not even be aware of the news, which she attempted to break to him in a telegram sent to a Belarusian prison.
According to Natallia Pinchuk, a prominent human rights campaigner, she hasn’t seen her husband since his incarceration last year. He is just the fourth recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize who is being held captive.
“It’s good news that came as a complete surprise. Nothing at all suggested that this may occur, “She stated during a call from an unidentified place.
“Today, I sent him a telegram; I don’t believe I was the only one. I hope they’ll give him these telegrams so he may read them and learn about this.
In Belarus, there was no mention of the award in state media. All of the top opposition members have been imprisoned or sent into exile by authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a buddy of Vladimir Putin of Russia, in a crackdown that followed an election in 2020 that they said he stole.
Byalyatski remained while others ran.
“He was fully aware of all the hazards, and he knew them all. There were hints that he ought to go. The police detained his coworkers. And he said that, in essence, he was in charge of them and that, given the seriousness of the situation, he couldn’t leave.
“How could he leave when they were locked up?”
The 60-year-old Byalyatski was ultimately taken into custody in July of last year on what the opposition claims are baseless charges, including tax evasion. In jail pending trial, he may receive up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.
Pinchuk stated that she was unsure of how he was faring.
“It’s difficult for me to say because he doesn’t write about this in his letters, but I believe he is reluctant to discuss it for fear of upsetting me. In any event, he always claims to be OK. Hard to tell what is beneath that “fine,” “She spoke.
Pinchuk claimed that because she wasn’t at home when the news first broke, she missed many calls and texts until a friend could eventually get through to her.
“Then I noticed some missed calls and text messages, but I couldn’t see them since the sun was shining off the screen, and I wasn’t wearing my glasses. I started answering calls as I was driving, but the noise of the automobile made it quite difficult to hear.”
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the head of the opposition in Belarus, has called for the release of Byalyatski and other political prisoners, but Pinchuk was reticent to discuss what could come next.
We all harbor deep-seated hopes, yet we are reluctant to express them out loud for fear of the repercussions.
