Today, during the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, the report was presented by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, “Situation of Human Rights in Belarus in the Run-Up to the 2020 Presidential Election and in its Aftermath”. An advance unedited version of the document is available at the link.
In the report, the high commissioner notes that the human rights violations outlined in the new report further confirm the scale and nature of violations identified in previous reports of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). These violations include arbitrary deprivation of life, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and other forms of cruel, inhumane, or degrading treatment or punishment (including sexual and gender-based violence), denial of the right to a fair trial and due process, unlawful interference with family life and failure to ensure the best interests of the child, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association, and non-discrimination, among others.
OHCHR reiterates that some violations may amount to crimes against humanity.
The report calls for the immediate release of political prisoners, ensuring the right to effective legal remedies and adequate reparations, and ending all other ongoing human rights violations. It also urges UN member states to work towards holding those responsible for the regime’s crimes accountable under universal jurisdiction and to facilitate international protection for refugees from Belarus.
During the HRC Session, representatives of the Lukashenka regime were able to express their opinion on the report. Their arguments remained unchanged, claiming there are no political prisoners in Belarus. They accused the UN Human Rights Council of interfering in the country’s internal affairs and of political bias, and stated that sanctions against the regime hinder the country’s development. Delegations from countries such as Syria, Zimbabwe, the Russian Federation, and others echoed these sentiments, although there were not many of them.
On the other hand, delegations from the European Union and its member states, the United States, the UK, Ukraine, and other states supported the findings of the report, expressed solidarity with political prisoners, and called for their immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation. They also repeatedly condemned the politically motivated persecution of children by the Lukashenka regime. The report indicates that since May 1, 2020, at least 55 children have been convicted on politically motivated charges, some of them sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. As of December 31, 2023, 10 of them were still in custody.
International NGOs also addressed the human rights situation in Belarus. They expressed hope that the work on documenting systemic and mass human rights violations in Belarus, as well as holding perpetrators accountable, will continue within the mandates of the UN Human Rights Council’s special mechanisms and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
A side event dedicated to the human rights situation in Belarus will take place tomorrow in Geneva. The event will be attended by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Kristina Rikhter, as well as representatives of Belarusian and international human rights organizations.
