The Belgrade Security Conference organizers are pleased to announce that the representatives of the Nobel Peace Prize Winners for 2022 will deliver keynote speeches during the first day of the Conference.

The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus, and two human rights organisations – Memorial from Russia and Center for Civil Liberties from Ukraine. As the Norwegian Nobel Committee has announced, this year’s laureates represent civil societies in their home countries and they demonstrate the importance of civil society for peace and democracy.

Ales Bialiatski is a prominent Belarusian human rights activist and the founder of the Human Rights Center Viasna. The organization’s main goal is to document and protest against the authorities’ use of torture against political prisoners, and to contribute to development of the civil society in Belarus, based on respect of human rights. Mr Bialiatski was arrested in 2021 following street protests against the regime. Considering that he is still detained without trial, Mr Uladzimir Vialichkin, member of the Human Rights Center Viasna, will deliver a keynote address at the Belgrade Security Conference on behalf of the organization.

The second Nobel Peace Prize winner is the Russian human rights organisation Memorial, established in 1987. For over 30 years, Memorial has been uncovering the fates of the victims of Soviet political repressions, but also exposing human rights abuses in present-day Russia. Despite the fact that Memorial was forcibly closed in 2022 by the Russian authorities, supporters of the organisation have established a new one, with the same name. Executive Director of the new Memorial, Anastasia Garina, will address the Belgrade Security Conference.

The values these organizations fight for are our shared values and with Belgrade Security Conference discussions we want to stress their significance for the world we live in today. We are proud to have the opportunity to virtualy host Mr. Bialiatski and Ms. Garina and be part of their important fight for shaping the present to influence a better future.