Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Oct 01, 2025

Nobel Peace Winner Ales Byalyatski's Wife Hopes Telegram Will Reach Him In Prison

Nobel Peace Winner Ales Byalyatski's Wife Hopes Telegram Will Reach Him In Prison

Ales Byalyatski was detained in July last year on what the opposition calls trumped-up accusations including tax evasion.

The wife of Nobel Peace Prize winner Ales Byalyatski said on Friday that he may not even know of the news, which she tried to break to him in a telegram to a Belarusian prison.

Natallia Pinchuk told Reuters she had not seen her husband, a leading human rights activist, since he was arrested last year. He is only the fourth person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in detention.

"It's pleasant news and very unexpected. There was absolutely nothing to suggest this could happen," she said in a telephone interview from an undisclosed location.

"I sent him a telegram today, I think I wasn't the only one. Maybe they'll give him these telegrams and he'll get the information and find out about this, I hope so."

State media made no mention of the prize in Belarus. Authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin, has jailed or forced into exile all leading opposition figures in a crackdown following a 2020 election that they accused him of stealing.

Byalyatski chose to stay as others fled.

"He knew all the risks, he was very well aware. There were suggestions he should leave. His colleagues were arrested. And he said on principle he was responsible for them and he couldn't leave in view of this grave situation," Pinchuk said.

"How could he leave when they were locked up?"

Faces Up To 12 Years' In Jail


Byalyatski, 60, was eventually detained in July last year on what the opposition calls trumped-up accusations including tax evasion. He is in prison awaiting trial, facing up to 12 years if convicted.

Pinchuk said she did not know how he was bearing up.

"It's hard for me to say because he doesn't write about this in his letters, I think he doesn't want to upset me and doesn't want to talk about that. In any case he always says he's fine. It's hard to say what's behind that ‘fine'," she said.

Pinchuk said she was not at home when the news broke, and missed a number of phone calls and messages until a friend finally managed to reach her.

"Then I saw these missed calls and text messages but the sun was reflecting off the screen and I didn't have my glasses and I couldn't read anything. On the way I started picking up calls but it was very hard to hear because of the car noise."

Belarus opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has called for the release of Byalyatski and other political prisoners, but Pinchuk was reluctant to speak about what might happen next.

"We all have very secret hopes and are afraid to say them aloud in case the opposite happens."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
×