Opposition leader slams trials in absentia as human rights abuse

December 16, BPN. Trials in absentia in the so-called special proceedings set up by Alaksandr Łukašenka’s regime violate basic rights and freedoms of the Belarusians, said opposition leader Sviatłana Cichanoŭskaja.

The special proceedings target those living abroad and evading contact with investigators. The authorities’ ultimate goal in the process is to strip dissidents of their Belarusian citizenship.

“The judicial system has stopped even pretending to follow the procedure,” Cichanoŭskaja said. Trials are closed to the public while people often learn about their persecution from the press releases by investigators, prosecutors, and courts, rather than from the rulings or case files, she noted.

Trials in absentia represent “another crime against the people of Belarus committed by the regime,” Cichanoŭskaja said, noting that human rights groups keep records of all special proceedings in Belarus as they violate Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

On December 16, the Belarusian Prosecutor General’s Office referred to court a case against the opposition’s Coordination Council.

The case involves Cichanoŭskaja, her former campaign manager Maryja Maroz, Pavieł Łatuška of the opposition’s transitional cabinet, and Coordination Council members Volha Kavalkova and Siarhiej Dyleŭski.