On February 3, a meeting took place in Kyiv between representatives of the democratic forces of Belarus and the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. From the Belarusian side, the meeting was attended by:
- Leanid Marozau, Advisor on Legal Affairs to Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya;
- Volha Zazulinskaya, Representative for Social Policy of the United Transitional Cabinet;
- Sviatlana Shatsilina, Head of the Democratic Belarus Mission in Ukraine.
The parties discussed:
- The human rights situation in Belarus, with a particular focus on the situation of political prisoners in Belarus, including Ukrainian citizens.
- The situation of Belarusians persecuted for opposing the Lukashenka and Putin regimes following the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, as well as humanitarian and human rights–based approaches to such cases.
- The regime’s practice of forcibly expelling political prisoners outside Belarus in 2025, including through the territory of Ukraine, and possible coordination of actions should such practices continue.
Leanid Marozau: “It is fundamentally important for us to establish direct and systematic cooperation with Ukrainian human rights institutions. We are speaking not only about solidarity, but also about concrete response mechanisms regarding political prisoners, transnational repression, and forced transfers. In these matters, coordination with the Office of the Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner is of key importance.
We are grateful to the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights for the constructive meeting and their readiness to continue cooperation”.
