Belarusian Authorities Defy Human Rights. Statement of Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’

Statement of the Human Rights Center Viasna

Minsk, 10 December 2007

On 10 December 2007 there turns 59 years since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This day is universally celebrated as the Day of Human Rights. The Republic of Belarus, being a co-founder of the United National Organizations, ratified and undertook the obligations on abidance by the principles of the Declaration.

Human Rights Center Viasna states with a grave concern that Belarus does not respect the fundamental civil and political rights. The violations of these rights are systematic. They are defined by the conscious politics of the state authorities and their top leaders.

The cases of forced disappearances of the oppositional politicians Viktar Hanchar, Yury Zakharanka, a businessman Anatol Krasouski and a journalist Dzmitry Zavadski still have not received a complete and exhausting investigation.

The political prisoners Dzmitry Dashkevich, Artur Finkevich, Aliaksandr Kazulin and Andrei Klimau are still kept behind bars.

Criminal and other persecution of public and political opponents, preventive and arbitrary detentions and arrests are widespread in Belarus. The pressurization of the KGB on the civil society of the country has increased.

The negative impact of the human rights violations on the society increase due to the absence of effective mechanisms for restoration of the infringed rights: there is no independent and fair court, the independent mass media are on the brink of collapse, the rights to association and opinion and the freedom of assemblies are considerably restricted.

Belarus openly refuses from the international human rights mechanisms. It does not accept the decision of the UN Committee on Human Rights on individual complaints of the Belarusian citizens, does not inform the people of Belarus about the UN resolutions on human rights and does not present regular reports on implementation of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights.

We have to state that violations of human rights have turned into one of the main methods of state government in Belarus. The Belarusian authorities openly demonstrate their defiance of the value of human rights in general.