Cichanoŭskaja to discuss human rights abuse in Belarus during Austria visit

June 4, BPN. Belarusian opposition leader Śviatłana Cichanoŭskaja will visit Austria on June 5 and 6, her aide Franak Viačorka told BPN.

She will have a number of high-level meetings, including with Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen, Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg, MPs and senior officials.

At the invitation of Schallenberg and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, Cichanoŭskaja will speak at the international conference “Vienna World Conference 30 Years On: Our Rights – Our Future.” It marks the 30th anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights.

In her address, Cichanoŭskaja will focus on Belarusian political prisoners and accountability for Belarusian authorities for human rights abuse in the country, Viačorka said.

In March, Türk presented a report on human rights violations in Belarus, covering the timeframe from May 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. Some of the documented human rights violations may qualify as crimes against humanity, the report said, encouraging UN member states to consider accountability through national proceedings based on generally accepted standards of extraterritorial and universal jurisdiction.