Human Rights Defenders: Available Data Do Not Indicate a Decline in the Intensity of Repression

In Belarus, the forms of repression may have changed, but the available data do not indicate that its intensity has declined. This is stated in a statement by a human rights coalition assessing the situation regarding repression in Belarus.

Human rights defenders welcome the release of people persecuted on political grounds, including releases secured through the efforts of the United States and other countries. Since mid-2024, around 900 people have been released.

At the same time, they say repression in Belarus continues. A coordinated system for suppressing dissent has been established at the state level and remains in operation, involving law enforcement agencies, courts, the penitentiary system and other government bodies. Legislative changes introduced after 2020 have enshrined formal discrimination in law against people whom the state considers dissidents.

“Such people are deprived of rights in many areas extending far beyond criminal or administrative prosecution. They are not only denied civil and political rights but are also prevented from participating fully in social, economic and cultural life. Repression is widespread in education, employment and culture. A vast number of people living in Belarus are subjected to unlawful administrative practices in their daily lives, creating an atmosphere of constant surveillance and fear.

At the same time, over the past six years, repression has become significantly more latent in nature. This is due both to the deliberate concealment of information and evidence of repressive practices and to the spread of forms of pressure that are less visible in themselves and are not always recognised as repression,” the statement says.

It also draws attention to the use of measures and methods of pressure that affect a much wider circle of people than the stated target. Examples include the designation of the European Humanities University (EHU) as an “extremist organisation”, chats used by prisoners’ relatives as “extremist formations”, and the “passport decree”.

“As a result, the broad range of people affected by repression, combined with the increasingly latent nature of repressive practices, makes it significantly more difficult to obtain information and monitor the authorities’ repressive actions.

We can speak of changes in the forms of repression, but the available data do not indicate any decline in its intensity. New criminal cases continue to be opened, convictions handed down and people detained. Repressive legislation is being tightened across virtually all areas of public life, and new restrictions are being introduced in employment and education. Since the beginning of the mass releases on 3 July 2024, at least 3,200 people have become defendants in criminal cases, and at least 28,500 instances of detention, searches and other forms of criminal and administrative repression have been recorded. The number of people recognised as political prisoners, including former political prisoners, has increased from 3,391 (including 615 women) to 4,879 (including 906 women), an increase of 1,488 people. Of these, 885 remain imprisoned,” the human rights defenders noted.

They stressed that the release of people does not in itself bring an end to repression against them. Those released are being forcibly expelled from the country.

“In light of the above, we draw particular attention to the fact that quantitative indicators of repression, and the number of political prisoners in particular, are no longer sufficient on their own to assess the state of the system. Qualitative indicators are essential for assessing genuine change. These include, first and foremost, the termination of politically motivated criminal proceedings; an end to torture, ill-treatment and other forms of discriminatory treatment of people imprisoned for political reasons; the ability of released political prisoners to participate fully in economic and social life and to choose freely where to reside; the repeal of the “passport decree”; and the ability of civil society organisations and independent media to operate freely, among many other factors,” the statement says.

The human rights coalition also issued appeals to the Belarusian authorities, international partners and the migration authorities of countries where Belarusians who were forced to leave the country now reside.

The coalition calls on the Belarusian authorities to:

• Ensure proper access to information on criminal and administrative prosecution, including relevant statistics and court decisions.
• Allow people who have been forcibly expelled to return safely to Belarus, and guarantee that people scheduled for release in the future have the right to freely choose where they will reside.
• Release all individuals recognised as political prisoners by human rights organisations, as well as those not yet identified by human rights organisations who have been convicted of “extremist offences”.
• End politically motivated persecution in all its forms, including transnational repression, and establish a moratorium on repressive legal provisions introduced after 2020 until they are repealed or brought into line with international human rights standards.
• End repressive practices targeting civil society organisations, including independent trade unions, political parties and the media.

The coalition calls on international partners, including those engaged in dialogue with the Belarusian authorities, to:

• Not treat the release of political prisoners as the sole relevant indicator of change in the situation with repression in Belarus.
• Take the broader picture of systemic restrictions into account when assessing the situation in Belarus, rather than relying solely on statistics on detentions, convictions and releases.
• When determining conditions for dialogue, easing sanctions, resuming cooperation or pursuing other forms of normalisation of relations with the Belarusian authorities, rely on a combination of quantitative and qualitative criteria that make it possible to assess systemic change, rather than the fluctuations of individual indicators.
• Bring this statement to the attention of their migration authorities and ensure that they are adequately informed, so that the cases of Belarusian nationals who genuinely face a risk of politically motivated persecution are assessed as comprehensively and objectively as possible.

Belarusian human rights defenders urge the migration authorities of countries where Belarusians who were forced to leave the country reside to rely primarily on up-to-date data and analysis from Belarusian human rights organisations and relevant United Nations bodies and procedures on Belarus, including the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus and the UN Group of Independent Experts on Belarus, when considering applications for international protection from Belarusian citizens.

The coalition also calls on Belarusian political actors and the expert community to:

• Avoid politicising human rights monitoring data and exercise responsibility in its interpretation and dissemination.
• When commenting on the situation with repression and releases, assess the situation comprehensively and emphasise qualitative changes in the system, so as not to create a distorted understanding of the processes underway among Belarusian society and the international community.

The statement was signed by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee, PEN Belarus, the Belarusian Human Rights House, Legal Initiative, the Belarusian Association of Journalists, Human Constanta, the Office for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Respect-Protect-Fulfill, Lawtrend and the Human Rights Center “Viasna”.