HRC52 - Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Belarus
United Nations Human Rights Council
52st session
Interactive Dialogue on the oral update of the High Commissioner on the situation of human rights in Belarus
22 March 2023
EU Statement
Mr. President,
The EU wishes to thank the High Commissioner for the report.
We remain extremely concerned about intensifying repression against civil society, human rights defenders and independent media in Belarus. As the High Commissioner reported, there are sufficient grounds to believe that systematic, widespread and gross human rights violations, have been and are being committed in Belarus. We therefore underline that the human rights situation in Belarus is deteriorating.
The report also confirmed a further increase in political prisoners, now estimated at over 1462, including those that are minors. Detainees continue to face torture and other ill-treatment in inhumane conditions and are deprived of their rights to a fair trial, instead being sentenced to politically motivated, harsh and lengthy prison terms. We are also concerned about the over 100 documented cases of sexual and gender-based violence against detainees.
The EU condemns the recent long prison sentences, including against: Nobel Peace Prize winner, Ales Bialiatski; Belarusian democratic opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya and four other opposition figures - Pavel Latushka, Maria Maroz, Volha Kavalkova, and Siarhei Dyleuski, as well as an eminent representative of the Polish national minority and journalist, Andrzej Poczobut.
We continue to urge Belarus to respect, protect and fulfil human rights in compliance with its obligations under international human rights law and to fully adhere to the principles of democracy and the rule of law. Belarusian authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners, including human rights defenders, journalists and persons belonging to national and other minorities, and cease harassment and reprisals against individuals exercising their human rights.
We also underline that the amendment to the Criminal Code, introducing the death penalty for “attempted acts of terrorism”, increases the risk of politically motivated executions and we stress that Belarus must comply with its obligations pursuant to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in relation to the imposition and carrying out of the death penalty. We continue to urge Belarus to abolish the death penalty in line with the global trend of abolition of the death penalty and, as a first step, to introduce a moratorium.
Furthermore, we share the denunciation of the Special Procedures mandate holders of the withdrawal by Belarus from the Aarhus convention and their call on Belarus to urgently adopt measures for the protection of environmental human rights defenders. In addition, Belarus’ withdrawal from individual complaints procedure under Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights contributes to serious setback for human rights protection in the country. We echo the calls on the Belarusian authorities to re-accede to the Optional Protocol.
Moreover, we strongly condemn the human rights consequences of Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and urge Belarusian authorities to adhere fully to its international obligations by stopping this involvement. The EU continue to condemn attempts to instrumentalise migrants for political purposes, particularly when used as leverage or as part of hybrid destabilising actions.
Finally, we continue to support international initiatives to hold all perpetrators of human rights violations in Belarus accountable, including through the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Special Rapporteur and the International Accountability Platform for Belarus, and we call on Belarusian authorities to grant these mechanisms access to the country.
Mr High Commissioner, could you provide more details about documented cases of sexual and gender based violence against detainees and the overall situation of prisoners in Belarus?
I thank you.