August 6, Pozirk. Belarusian human rights organizations have submitted an alternative report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the Viasna Human Rights Center said.
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee, Human Constanta, Belarusian PEN, and Lawtrend warned the Belarusian government against codifying discriminatory practices violating the rights of ethnic minorities or citizens with ties to foreign states.
They called for an end to the persecution of civil society organizations, such as the unregistered Union of Poles, and individuals who preserve and develop ethnic cultures.
They also recommended restricting narratives in school education that create the grounds for inciting hatred against certain nations and states, such as Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.
According to the human rights organizations, after 2020, discriminatory practices have gradually become part of a systemic policy of excluding certain groups. Among them are minorities associated with what government brands “hostile states,” in particular the Poles, Lithuanians and Ukrainians.
The report will be presented at the CERD’s 113th session next week.
