UN Special Rapporteur Criticizes Belarusian Authorities

Anais Marin is concerned about the fate of adolescents in our country.

The UN human rights expert in Belarus is concerned about the fate of adolescents serving sentences for drug offenses. Anais Marin urged the Belarusian authorities to bring the Criminal Code in line with their own obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is now 30 years old, reports tut.by.

“As a result of lowering the age of criminal responsibility for drug-related crimes to 14 years, dozens of minors got to prison. They are sentenced to unreasonably long terms,” the statement of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Belarus said.

The UN expert is outraged that the problem of drug use and drug addiction is considered in a criminal context, and not as a health problem. “The arrest or detention of children and adolescents should be an extreme measure, and the period of imprisonment should be as short as possible,” the Special Rapporteur said.

Marin said she is concerned that “children are being held in inadequate conditions, do not have full access to medical care and education, and are limited in communication with loved ones.” In addition, according to her, they are severely punished for petty misconduct and forced to work. In some cases, guarantees of a fair trial are reportedly violated.

The UN expert approved the intention of the authorities to reduce the period of detention for drug-related crimes for two years under amnesty. This concerns those who committed such crimes in their teens. At the same time, the Special Rapporteur noted with regret, this measure applies only to those prisoners who received short prison sentences.

“I urge the government to review drug legislation and the juvenile justice system, primarily in order to find alternatives to imprisonment,” said Marin.

The official Minsk does not recognize the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, and calls on the UN Human Rights Council to abolish it, pointing to its “unjust and politicized nature.” However, the UN HRC every year extends the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for Belarus.

Last November, Anais Marin was appointed Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. She was unable to visit Belarus in her official status: Marin sent a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting permission to come to Belarus with an official visit, but received no answer.

Today, more than seven million children and adolescents are deprived of liberty worldwide. These are those who are in prisons, immigration detention centers and other closed institutions, the UN reports, citing a recent study.