Amnesty International urges UN Human Rights Council to renew mandate of Special Rapporteur on Belarus
"The UN Human Rights Council must renew the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation in Belarus," said Amnesty International in a statement released on June 17.
"The release of several prisoners convicted in politically motivated trials in 2015 and the role of Belarus in hosting mediation talks on the conflict in eastern Ukraine have led to an easing of relations with Belarus and the international community. This included, in October 2015, the EU suspending its longstanding sanctions against senior Belarusian officials, with the exception of four security officers believed to be linked to enforced disappearances of political activists in 1999 and 2000.
Such developments must not be allowed to eclipse the dire human rights situation in Belarus where the death penalty is retained and executions are carried out. The rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression are severely curtailed with legislation still in place to obstruct even the most basic enjoyment of these rights. State surveillance is a critical element in the authorities’ efforts to harass and intimidate civil society and independent media and serves to obstruct them from carrying out their legitimate activities. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people face routine discrimination," says AI's press-release.
"Despite a shift from the international community towards Belarus politically, the fact remains that basic human rights and fundamental freedoms are violated systematically by the Belarusian authorities. The human rights community must invest all it can to protect the rights of the Belarusian people. The role of the Special Rapporteur in this regard is critical to secure rigorous monitoring of and reporting on the human rights situation in Belarus which is essential to ensuring accountability for human rights violations," Amnesty International said.
