Belarus’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced its participation in the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council. In Geneva, Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov intends to discuss, among other topics, “current approaches” to the Council’s activities, as well as Belarus’ stance on regional and global security issues.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Office reiterates the following:
- Belarus systematically violates human rights;
- The Independent UN Experts Group has confirmed the worsening of political repression;
- The Lukashenka regime fully supports Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to a recent report by the UN Independent Expert Group, the Belarusian government continues to systematically use arbitrary arrests, torture, and ill-treatment as its primary methods of suppressing dissent. Political prisoners are intentionally subjected to harsher detention conditions aimed at punishment and humiliation. Increased surveillance, threats of re-arrest, and trials in absentia force thousands of Belarusians to flee the country.
The UN Independent Expert Group has also uncovered additional evidence of crimes against humanity, namely, the imprisonment and persecution of people for their real or perceived political views.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya’s Advisor on Legal Affairs, Leanid Marozau: “On the day the world marks the anniversary of the war Russia launched against Ukraine – and when the Belarusian regime became a co-aggressor in this crime – its representative, Mr. Ryzhenkov, is heading to the UN Human Rights Council to talk about human rights. This attempt to use an international platform to justify international crimes and legitimize repression is unacceptable. The UN Human Rights Council must be a place for protecting victims, not a tool of dictatorship”.
