<p>Jailed Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, who was co-awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, faces up to 12 years in prison on smuggling charges, the Viasna rights centre said Monday.</p>.<p>Sixty-year-old Bialiatski, who founded Viasna, and several other political activists are accused of smuggling a "large amount of cash" into Belarus to allegedly fund opposition activities, his rights group said in a statement.</p>.<p>Bialiatski, his deputy Valentin Stefanovich and another activist, Vladimir Labkovich, have been in detention since July, 2021. They were initially accused of tax evasion.</p>.<p>"They face between seven and 12 years of imprisonment," Viasna said.</p>.<p>The rights group said that the criminal case went to court but the date of the beginning of the trial had yet to be set.</p>.<p>Bialiatski's organisation, which means "Spring" and was founded in 1996, is Belarus's most prominent rights group.</p>.<p>Supporters see the jailing of Bialiatski and his associates as a thinly veiled tactic to silence their work.</p>.<p>Citing prosecutors, Viasna said the rights activists are accused of smuggling into Belarus at least 201,000 euros and $54,000. The money has been used to help activists pay off their fines, among other purposes, the statement said.</p>.<p>Bialiatski and his associates were jailed after large-scale demonstrations against the regime in 2020, when authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in elections the international community deemed fraudulent.</p>.<p>Bialiatski has battled against repression for a quarter of a century and spent years in jail for his efforts.</p>.<p>He spent his 60th birthday in prison on September 25, as he did his 50th.</p>
<p>Jailed Belarusian activist Ales Bialiatski, who was co-awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, faces up to 12 years in prison on smuggling charges, the Viasna rights centre said Monday.</p>.<p>Sixty-year-old Bialiatski, who founded Viasna, and several other political activists are accused of smuggling a "large amount of cash" into Belarus to allegedly fund opposition activities, his rights group said in a statement.</p>.<p>Bialiatski, his deputy Valentin Stefanovich and another activist, Vladimir Labkovich, have been in detention since July, 2021. They were initially accused of tax evasion.</p>.<p>"They face between seven and 12 years of imprisonment," Viasna said.</p>.<p>The rights group said that the criminal case went to court but the date of the beginning of the trial had yet to be set.</p>.<p>Bialiatski's organisation, which means "Spring" and was founded in 1996, is Belarus's most prominent rights group.</p>.<p>Supporters see the jailing of Bialiatski and his associates as a thinly veiled tactic to silence their work.</p>.<p>Citing prosecutors, Viasna said the rights activists are accused of smuggling into Belarus at least 201,000 euros and $54,000. The money has been used to help activists pay off their fines, among other purposes, the statement said.</p>.<p>Bialiatski and his associates were jailed after large-scale demonstrations against the regime in 2020, when authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed victory in elections the international community deemed fraudulent.</p>.<p>Bialiatski has battled against repression for a quarter of a century and spent years in jail for his efforts.</p>.<p>He spent his 60th birthday in prison on September 25, as he did his 50th.</p>