HRDs appeal to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Thematic Special Rapporteurs Document

Several leading human rights organizations of Belarus have written to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as well as a number of thematic Special Rapporteurs urging them to take urgent measures in response to the human rights crisis in Belarus.

The appeal specifically elaborates on the following key aspects:

• use of violence and police abuse;
• right to a fair trial;
• situation of journalists;
• situation of human rights defenders;
• access to the information;
• situation with foreign citizens.

The human rights defenders ask the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteurs to appeal to the government of Belarus with a demand to take urgent measures to fulfill its international human rights obligations enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, in the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading dignity of treatment and punishment and other international legal instruments, first of all, to stop using violence against peaceful demonstrators, including the use of traumatic weapons: stun grenades, rubber bullets and other weapons.

It is also proposed to use all possible tools for monitoring the human rights situation in the country.

At the same time, the human rights defenders inform that in the near future they will submit reports to the relevant special procedures concerning separate violations of human rights.

The appeal has been signed by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, the Human Rights Center “Viasna”, Human Constanta, Legal Initiative, Belarusian Association of Journalists, Legal Transformation Center (Lawtrend), Assembly of Democratic NGOs, Identity and Law, and the Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House.