28 March 2024, Thursday, 17:46
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BAJ Urged UN To Make Every Effort to Release Belarusian Journalists

BAJ Urged UN To Make Every Effort to Release Belarusian Journalists

The European delegation held an online meeting with civil societies in Belarus.

On the eve of International Human Rights Day, the European delegation to the UN in New York, together with civil society organizations in Belarus, held an online meeting to demonstrate the role of civil society actors in Belarus, reports BAJ.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the UN system, member states, and civil society, particularly Ambassador Olof Skooga, Head of the EU Delegation to the UN in New York. Presentations were made by Eamon Gilmore, EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Ilze Brands Kehris, Assistant Secretary General of the UN for Human Rights.

Belarus was represented by Siakhovich, a member of the Belarusian Association of Journalists, a lawyer, Valiantsin Stefanovich, deputy chairman of the Viasna Human Rights Center, Alena Aharelyshava, a member of the feminist group of the Coordination Council, Aleh Hulak, chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee.

The repressions against the citizens of Belarus after the August 9 elections, the situation of political prisoners, in particular media workers, women, and human rights defenders, were discussed, as well as rehabilitation and compensation for illegally detained persons, actions for investigation, justice, and accountability.

Volha Siakhovich, a representative of the BAJ NGO, noted in her speech that there was a situation when three journalists at once are political prisoners for the first time in Belarus. These are Katsiaryna Barysevich, Katsiaryna Andreeva, and Darja Chultsova.

"Belarus is a country where conditions of preliminary detention are inhuman, degrading, and discriminatory towards women," Volha Siakhovich stressed.

And journalists are persecuted solely for exercising their right to freedom of expression; they should be released, and criminal cases against them should be terminated.

"I would like to call on the UN member states, UN special procedures for human rights, humanitarian and women's human rights organizations to make every effort so that three Belarusian journalists who are political prisoners do not remain in prison," Volha Siakhovich said in her speech to audience.

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