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U.S. calls on Belarus to release human rights activist, political prisoners

WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (KUNA) -- In a statement released late Friday, the United States reiterated its call for the government of Belarus to release human rights organization to be freed, along with all other political prisoners currently held in prison.
The U.S. called for the release of the State Department's 2011 Human Rights Defender Award recipient Ales Byalyatski, currently serving the second year of a four and a half year sentence in Belarus. He had formerly headed a human right organization aiding victims of political repression and cataloging human rights violations.
"We honor Byalyatski's work to protect the weak and uphold the highest standards of human rights despite harassment by Belarusian authorities," Deputy State department spokesperson Marie Harf said in a statement. "We reiterate our call on the Government of Belarus to immediately release Byalyatski and all political prisoners and restore their civil and political rights. We look forward to a day when enhanced respect for democracy and human rights in Belarus allows us to improve bilateral relations." Byalyatski was arrested in 2011 for tax evasion charges that his supporters say were politically motivated. (end) hy.sd KUNA 031006 Aug 13NNNN