Ales Bialiatski Created His Own Foundation

Photo: Lokkby.media

After his release and forced expulsion from Belarus, Ales Bialiatski, chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022, announced the creation of The Ales Bialiatski Foundation. The new organization will operate at the strategic intersection of human rights, peacebuilding, and regional security, strengthening the global human rights alliance amid an unprecedented geopolitical crisis, writes "Viasna".

Today, the region of Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia faces a profound crisis: full-scale war has returned to Europe, Ukraine is fighting for survival, and within Belarus and Russia, the space for civil society has been completely destroyed, a trend affecting an increasing number of countries – the situations in Kyrgyzstan and Georgia are causing growing concern. Activists, journalists, and lawyers everywhere face repression, imprisonment, and exile.

However, the founders of the foundation emphasize that the crisis is not only regional but also global. Polarization and anti-rights narratives erode the universality of law worldwide, demanding fundamentally new leadership and strategies.

Why is the Foundation being created now?

The founder of the organization, Ales Bialiatski, explains the prerequisites for the initiative's emergence: "When I regained my freedom at the end of 2025, I saw a transformed world, full of deep global uncertainty. In the first months after my release, I consulted with colleagues from the Human Rights Center "Viasna", Nobel Peace Prize laureates, dozens of civil society leaders, and diplomats. I met with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and several heads of state. I spoke with long-time human rights colleagues from around the world. These conversations confirmed the need to create new forms of cooperation and moral leadership. That is why I created a new organization in Poland. I will dedicate my time, my energy, my network of contacts, and a part of the funds received from the Nobel Prize to it."

What will the new organization do?

The new organization will focus on strategic and global challenges and tasks, and its activities will be built at the intersection of five key areas: human rights, peacemaking, international justice, civil society resilience, and the human dimension of regional security.

Павялічыць

The organization will actively advocate for principled and consistent approaches to international human rights mechanisms, as well as promptly respond to systemic and existential threats to international law. Important priorities include promoting innovative models of global accountability and rights protection, as well as countering the growing threat of transnational repression.

The Foundation plans to pay special attention to developing intergenerational dialogue, supporting international youth and civic leadership. Through a system of special scholarships, mentorship, and the Ales Bialiatski Youth Prize, the organization will equip new leaders with the necessary skills and international networks of contacts for effective work even in conditions of geopolitical crisis. At the same time, Ales Bialiatski's unwavering priority remains the support of a free and sovereign Belarus.

"We hope this will allow us to effectively promote a universal approach to human rights"

For the role of Head of Strategic Development, Advocacy, and Partnerships, Ales Bialiatski invited Sasha Kulaeva (France), an expert with experience in leadership positions in non-governmental international organizations, a lecturer in human rights and international relations at international universities, author of numerous human rights studies, and a long-time partner of "Viasna".

"Ales Bialiatski's work and personality are well known in the international arena, as is his long struggle for human dignity in conditions of severe repression – far beyond Belarus alone. Ales traveled on working trips to various countries around the world, for example, to Egypt and Morocco, to revolutionary Tunisia in 2011, to Cuba to support Cuban dissidents, to South Africa. He is known in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, not to mention the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His voice carries exceptional authority among governments, international organizations, and civil society. Our first meetings showed that the new Foundation already enjoys a high level of trust and global support. We hope that this will allow us, together with colleagues, to effectively promote a universal approach to human rights and fight against the polarization that threatens the institutions and mechanisms of international law, which were created with such difficulty over the years," notes the expert.

"Today the scale of the crisis demands a different contribution from me"

Ales Bialiatski emphasizes that he remains the chairman of "Viasna", but his personal focus is shifting to the international arena:

"While in captivity, I learned the full extent of what happened after my arrest: more than 30 "Viasna" activists and their relatives were detained, 120 searches were conducted, and over 200 interrogations. Nevertheless, I was deeply impressed to learn that the structures we created did not break. "Viasna" managed to leave Belarus, evacuate its members, and resume its activities abroad. Today, it continues its mission, enjoying international recognition and support.

For thirty years, with the exception of the time I spent in prison, I headed "Viasna". In recent years, I primarily focused on strategy, analysis, global education, and international activities. Together with colleagues from "Viasna", I continue this important work for Belarus.

But today the scale of the crisis demands a different contribution from me. I believe I should work more at the international level, using the moral capital of the Nobel Peace Prize, the international experience gained during years of work as Vice-President of the International Federation for Human Rights, my membership in International PEN, and the experience acquired over decades of struggle against dictatorship and political repression.

As a member of the global community, I feel a responsibility to defend the universality of human rights at a time when this very concept is under threat."

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