Written declaration No. 508 | Doc. 12854 | 14 May 2012

In support of the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ales Bialiatski, Belarusian Human Rights Defender

Signatories: Mr Andrzej HALICKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Marieluise BECK, Germany, ALDE ; Mr Robert BIEDROŃ, Poland, SOC ; Mr Grzegorz BIERECKI, Poland, NR ; Ms Lolita ČIGĀNE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Titus CORLĂŢEAN, Romania, SOC ; Mr József ÉKES, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Renato FARINA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Doris FROMMELT, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr György FRUNDA, Romania, EPP/CD ; Mr Valeriu GHILETCHI, Republic of Moldova, EPP/CD ; Mr Zbigniew GIRZYŃSKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Jarosław GÓRCZYŃSKI, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Ana GUŢU, Republic of Moldova, ALDE ; Mr Norbert HAUPERT, Luxembourg, EPP/CD ; Ms Olha HERASYM'YUK, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Andres HERKEL, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Tadeusz IWIŃSKI, Poland, SOC ; Mr Mariusz KAMIŃSKI, Poland, NR ; Ms Elvira KOVÁCS, Serbia, EPP/CD ; Ms Inese LĪBIŅA-EGNERE, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Mr Edgar MAYER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Mr Gábor Tamás NAGY, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Gebhard NEGELE, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Mr Fritz NEUGEBAUER, Austria, EPP/CD ; Ms Mirosława NYKIEL, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Elsa PAPADIMITRIOU, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Zaruhi POSTANJYAN, Armenia, EPP/CD ; Ms Marietta de POURBAIX-LUNDIN, Sweden, EPP/CD ; Ms Elżbieta RADZISZEWSKA, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Adam ROGACKI, Poland, NR ; Mr Giacomo SANTINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Leander SCHÄDLER, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD ; Ms Ingjerd SCHOU, Norway, EPP/CD ; Mr Serhiy SOBOLEV, Ukraine, EPP/CD ; Mr Vilmos SZABÓ, Hungary, SOC ; Mr Egidijus VAREIKIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD ; Mr Imre VEJKEY, Hungary, EPP/CD ; Mr Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Piotr WACH, Poland, EPP/CD ; Mr Johann WADEPHUL, Germany, EPP/CD ; Mr Emanuelis ZINGERIS, Lithuania, EPP/CD

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

We, parliamentarians of the member states of the Council of Europe, strongly support the idea of awarding the Nobel Peace Price to the distinguished Belarusian activist and the human rights defender - Ales Bialiatski.

Ales Bialiatski, sentenced to 4,5 years of hard labour, has never been a politician. His only fault is that, being a sensitive person, he stood alongside the victims of the antidemocratic regime, helped them and took care of their families. We demand his release.

The People of the Free Europe will never abandon the citizens of Belarus, who are fully entitled to exercise the same rights as we do.