Human Rights Coalition Demands Reversal of Decisions Labeling Belarusian PEN, Human Constanta and BHC as “Extremist Formations”

The coalition of Belarusian human rights organizations issued a statement regarding the designation of the organizations Belarusian PEN, Human Constanta and the Belarusian Helsinki Committee as “extremist formations.”

“The authorities’ decision to recognize these organizations as ‘extremist formations’ is politically motivated persecution connected with the peaceful exercise of people’s rights and freedoms, carried out as part of the state’s broad policy of persecuting dissenters. Part of this policy is the suppression of civic activism, the stigmatization of civil society organizations in general and the Belarusian human rights movement in particular,” the statement says.

It also emphasizes that “Belarusian anti-extremism legislation does not comply with international standards, lacks legitimate aims, is formulated broadly and abstractly, which gives excessive discretion to state bodies and allows them to arbitrarily apply legal provisions for the purpose of political repression.” The real purpose of using this legislation, according to the statement, is to suppress any disagreement with the authorities’ actions.

“Thus, recognizing Belarusian PEN, Human Constanta, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and other organizations as ‘extremist formations’ constitutes unacceptable interference with the exercise of freedom of expression and freedom of association, which are rights guaranteed by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Belarus is a party, and also violates rights enshrined in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus. Moreover, the recognition of human rights organizations as ‘extremist formations’ is one of the acts of persecution constituting a crime against humanity within the meaning of the Rome Statute,” the statement says.

It is also noted that labeling human rights organizations as “extremist formations” violates the right to work and forms part of transnational repression.

“In connection with the above, we demand that the Belarusian authorities:

• Reverse the decisions recognizing Belarusian PEN, Human Constanta, the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, as well as other civil society organizations, as ‘extremist formations’ or ‘extremist organizations’.
• Bring anti-extremism legislation into compliance with international human rights standards.
• Stop the practice of labeling organizations and initiatives as extremist without reasonable and proportionate grounds, as well as the practice of labeling information resources aimed at informing the public about the human rights situation as extremist materials.”