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Belarus: Massive human rights violations unprecedented in scope and gravity, says UN expert. GENEVA (5 July 2021) – Belarus has witnessed an unprecedented human rights crisis over the past year, an independent expert appointed by the Human Rights Council said today, calling on authorities to end their policy of repression and to fully respect ...
In his address, Erol Arduç underlined that despite another year of increased volatility and decline in funding, the United Nations in Belarus remains committed to deliver results for the sustainable development of the country, in line with national priorities, in accordance with the mandates, strengths, and expertise of each of the UN entities.
Mar 9, 2022 · Broad use of unnecessary and disproportionate force repeatedly violated people’s rights, including to freedom of expression, assembly and association. Between May 2020 and May 2021, at least 37,000...
- Free and Fair Elections
- Governmental Crackdown on Peaceful Protests
- Arrest and Harassment of Opposition Members and Supporters
- Freedom of Expression and Attacks on Journalists
- Freedom of Information
- Death Penalty
- Covid-19
- Key International Actors
The presidential elections were marred by arrests of leading opposition candidates, groundless refusals to register certain opposition candidates for the ballot, and allegations of widespread fraud. In May, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) refused to register the nomination for Siarhei Tsikhanousky, a popular blogger who at the time was servi...
Officials and police violently dispersed protests on August 9-12 in Minsk and other large cities, using excessive force and resorting to rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas. Riot police detained almost 7,000 protesters and bystanders in four days, subjecting hundreds to torture and other ill-treatment and holding them in inhuman and degradi...
Starting in early summer, authorities launched more than 500 criminal cases against potential presidential candidates, their campaigns’ team members, and peaceful protesters on false charges ranging from mass rioting to hooliganism. Authorities also launched criminal cases against businessmen and staff of companies that supported certain opposition...
The Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) documented more than 500 incidents of harassment, detention, fines and temporary arrests of journalists from January through mid-November 2020. BelSAT, a Poland-based broadcaster long targeted by Belarusian authorities, estimates it has already paid over US$100,000 in the first nine months of 2020, su...
From August 9 to August 12, internet access in Belarus was severely restricted for 61 hours, leaving access only to 2G networks, permitting text messages and voice calls. Government officials blamed foreign cyber-attacks for the disruptions, but independent experts and an independent monitoring group have attributed them to government interference....
Belarus remains the only country in Europe to carry out the death penalty. In the past year, Belarus is known to have executed one person, Aliaksandr Asipovich, who was sentenced to death in January 2019, and executed by firing squad on December 9, 2019. There are currently four people on death row: Viktar Paulau, Viktar Syarhel, Stanislaw Kosteu, ...
Since March, Belarus recorded over 70,000 cases and 632 deaths. At time of writing, Belarus has 1,208 reported cases per 100,000 people. Throughout the pandemic, President Lukashenka dismissed the seriousness of Covid-19. Authorities did not introduce any lockdown measures despite high levels of community transmission. In November, authorities in M...
The annual report by the United Nations special rapporteur on Belarus, Anaïs Marin, concluded that there were no significant improvements in the human rights situation. Belarus continued to refuse to recognize her mandate and failed to cooperate with her investigations. A thematic report by the special rapporteur documented serious concerns with th...
In March, the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights presented a new report under its mandate relating to examination of the human rights situation in Belarus in the run-up to the...
Belarus 2023. The rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly remained severely curtailed. Religious minorities faced discrimination. The justice system was abused to suppress dissent. Torture and other ill-treatment were endemic and impunity prevailed. Refugees and migrants suffered abuses at the hands of the authorities.
May 3, 2021 · The global challenges we have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic underline the critical role of reliable, verified and universally accessible information in saving lives and building strong, resilient societies.
