{"id":129692,"date":"2025-03-12T14:02:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-12T11:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129692\/"},"modified":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T12:05:06","slug":"kavaleuski-argues-for-swapping-ultimatums-for-diplomacy-to-free-belarus-dissidents","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/pozirk.online\/en\/news\/129692\/","title":{"rendered":"Kavale\u016dski argues for swapping ultimatums for diplomacy to free Belarus\u2019 dissidents"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n \"\"\n
\n \n
\n (facebook.com\/euroatlanticagency)<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

March 12, Pozirk.<\/em> <\/strong>Pro-active diplomatic efforts, responsible communication along with sanctions may help secure the release of Belarusians imprisoned in politically-motivated cases, opposition politician Valeryj Kavale\u016dski told Volker T\u00fcrk, the UN human rights commissioner, at their meeting in Geneva yesterday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimatums and unrealistic demands have failed so far, noted former transition cabinet\u2019s foreign affairs chief, who is now in charge of the Euro-Atlantic Affairs Agency advocacy group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kavale\u016dski and T\u00fcrk also discussed new approaches that could help liberate jailed Belarusian regime critics and address other systemic challenges caused by ongoing reprisals in Belarus, the Agency said on Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Transition cabinet’s Volha Harbunova and rights activist Ta\u0107ciana Chomi\u010d, sister of jailed dissident Maryja Kale\u015bnikava, also participated in the meeting, which took place during the regular session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a week, the HRC is scheduled to host an interactive dialogue on Belarus, based on the first report by independent experts tasked with investigating the circumstances and root causes of all rights abuses allegedly committed in Belarus since May 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report says that some rights violations in Belarus \u201camount to international crimes in that they were committed intentionally as part of a widespread and systematic attack against a segment of the civilian population of Belarus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few weeks ago,\u00a0Belarus\u2019 top diplomat Maksim Ry\u017eanko\u016d met with T\u00fcrk in Geneva and reportedly invited him to visit Belarus to familiarize himself with the human rights situation on the ground. T\u00fcrk did not comment on the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 12, rights groups identified at least 1,215 political prisoners, including at least 150 women, but the real number is considerably higher because many cases go undocumented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n
\n \"\"