The Norwegian Nobel Committee expresses its profound relief and heartfelt joy at the release of Ales Bialiatski, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2022, from prison in Belarus. His freedom is a deeply welcome and long-awaited moment. He had been serving a ten-year sentence imposed in retaliation for his peaceful work in defence of human rights and democracy.

At the same time, more than 1200 political prisoners remain behind bars in Belarus, and their continued detention starkly illustrates the ongoing, systemic repression in the country. 

The Norwegian Nobel Committee calls on the Belarusian authorities to release all political prisoners and to guarantee that Ales Bialiatski and other human rights defenders can live and work freely, without fear of renewed persecution.


Jørgen Watne Frydnes
Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee