UN Claims Massive Human Rights Violations In Belarus

Details of the updated report have become known.

The UN has heard a report on the human rights situation in Belarus. The authors of the report noted systematic repression against civil society, arbitrary detention of thousands of people, torture and death in Belarusian prisons, Deutsche Welle reports.

An updated report on the human rights situation in Belarus was heard on Friday, September 22, in Geneva at the 54th session of the UN Human Rights Council. The authors of the report noted systematic pressure on civil society, the detention of thousands of people on trumped-up charges, torture and death in Belarusian prisons.

Nada Al-Nashif, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, who presented the document, noted the “campaign of violence and repression” that the Belarusian authorities launched against opposition activists, journalists and cultural figures who criticize the government. According to Al-Nashif, since 2020 in Belarus, more than 3,750 people have been convicted as a result of trials in which “legal procedures and the right to a fair trial were largely ignored.”

The UN criticized changes to Belarusian citizenship legislation

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in addition, criticized recent changes in the legislation of Belarus, which allowed the country's authorities to deprive the citizenship of the Republic of Belarus from Belarusians convicted of “extremism”, as well as those living outside the country. The UN pointed out that such legislative innovations create “the danger of stateless persons” and “great room for abuse.”

The Council also called on states to investigate cases falling under universal jurisdiction to ensure accountability for those who violate human rights.

Human rights violations in the Republic of Belarus are in the spotlight of the world community

The meeting was attended by the legal adviser to the leader of the Belarusian opposition Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Kristina Richter, who said: “Such hearings have been held at almost every session of the Human Rights Council since 2020. For Belarusians, this means that the issue of human rights in Belarus and their violations by the regime continue to remain the focus of attention of the international community and the UN itself.”