Belarusian Authorities Lie to UN Officials

In August 2004 the Chairperson-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights Leïla Zerrougui visited Belarus within the framework of the mission Civil and political rights including the questions of torture and detention. The chair of HRC Viasna Ales Bialiatski met with Mrs. Zerrougui in Geneva. She was very surprised to find that Professor Bandazheuski was still kept in jail.

“Belarusian authorities promised to me to release him in January 2005”, -- said Leïla Zerrougui to A. Bialiatski. It seems Belarusian authorities lied to the high-level UN official with the aim to receive better results in the report, the UN Working Group prepared after the visit.