One More Case Against Belarusian Authorities Filed To UN

Natallia Strelchanka accuses the Belarusian authorities of having violatred seven articles of the International Covenant at once.

Activist from Dubrouna Natallia Strelchanka sent an individual complaint to the UN Committee on Human Rights, in which she accused the Belarusian authorities of violating seven articles of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights at a time, the Hrodna Spring writes.

Natallia Strelchanka accuses the state over the fact that on March 25 and 26, 2018, employees of the Dubrouna district department of internal affairs and the district court committed actions against her that violated her rights guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

So, Natallia reckons her unlawful detention on March 25, 2018 by police officers on the way to Minsk, where she intended to participate in the celebration of the Freedom Day, as a violation of Article 9 of the Covenant. According to it, no one can be arbitrarily arrested or detained.

Natallia regards her arbitrary detention when she was heading to a mass event also as a violation of Article 21 of the Covenant by Belarus, which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly.

In addition, the ban to make audio records and photographs of the process of her arrest in the foyer of the police department, and bringing her to administrative liability for “disobeying the demand to stop filming” violated, in the opinion of Natallia Strelchanka, Article 19 of the Covenant, which guarantees the right to freedom of information. Natallia emphasizes in the complaint that there is no law in Belarus that would prohibit video filming in such a public place as the lobby of the police department.

Natallia informs the HRC that the district court judge Tatayeu rejected her petition to watch the video from her phone, which was seized at the police department during the arrest. Meanwhile, this video was the only possible proof of her innocence. According to the activist, this violated her right to a fair trial, which is guaranteed by Article 14 of the Covenant.

The fact that on March 25, 2018 she was held in the premises of the Dubrouna district police department from the morning until 6 p.m. without food, searched in front of the surveillance camera before being placed in the detention facility, held in custody for more than 28 hours, knowing that she has two minor children remains, in the opinion of the applicant, a violation of Article 10 of the Covenant. According to this article, all persons deprived of their liberty are entitled to humane treatment and respect for human dignity.

Article 7 was also violated, which states that no one may be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman treatment that degrades human dignity.

Because all these violations had political grounds, Natallia Strelchanka reckons this as discrimination based on her political convictions. This violates Article 2 of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Natallia Strelchanka requests to establish the fact of violation by the Belarusian authorities of the seven listed articles of the Covenant, and to recommend them to compensate for the harm caused by the state.