Repression, rampant impunity reign in Belarus since 2020 – UN human rights envoy

September 24, BPN. Belarus continues to abuse human rights after the 2020 presidential elections, Austria’s ORF radio station reported citing Nada Al-Nashif, acting United Nations high commissioner for human rights.

She noted that many people have fled the country in fear of politically-motivated persecution, while over 1,300 people remain behind bars as political prisoners. She added that the UN knew of at least 37,000 cases of short-term arrests of opposition politicians, activists, journalists and protesters between May 2020 and May 2021.

As of September 23, Belarusian human rights defenders identified at least 1,346 political prisoners.

The House of Representatives, the lower house of the Belarusian parliament, is about to consider the first reading of the bill on Belarus’ withdrawal from the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The Protocol allows submission of individual complaints on violations of human rights to the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC).

Belarusian human rights defenders denounced the move in a joint statement, urging the authorities not to deprive Belarusians of access to international human rights mechanisms.