Фото: facebook.com/osce.org
The United Kingdom and 37 other OSCE participating States have called on the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all political prisoners and end repression against civil society, independent media and opposition voices.
A joint statement on the human rights situation in Belarus was delivered on Sept. 17 by Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Christian Grønbech-Jensen. The document was published by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office.
The statement notes that following the August 2020 presidential election, the Belarusian authorities launched a “brutal and systematic crackdown” on peaceful protesters. Six years on, little has changed, the authors of the document said, and the situation continues to warrant the attention of the international community.
“The Belarusian authorities have continued to systematically repress fundamental freedoms and target those perceived as critical of the authorities.”
The OSCE countries referred to the latest report by the UN Special Rapporteur, according to which arbitrary detention and politically motivated prosecutions remain widespread in Belarus. Legislation on countering extremism and terrorism continues to be misused to criminalise the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
Human rights defenders, journalists, opposition figures and other civil society actors continue to face persecution.
At the same time, the statement says, transnational repression increasingly targets Belarusians in exile and their families.
According to figures cited in the document from the Human Rights Center Viasna, at least 10,016 people have faced criminal prosecution for political reasons since 2020. The number has increased by approximately 1,500 cases over the past year. More than 100,000 cases of repression have been recorded in total. At the time the statement was published, 886 people were recognised as political prisoners.
The authors of the statement referred to the report prepared in 2023 under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism, as well as subsequent UN reports. In their assessment, Belarus has failed to uphold its international human rights obligations and its OSCE commitments, including those related to holding free and fair elections and timely invitations to OSCE/ODIHR election observers.
The statement also mentions Belarus’s support for Russia’s unprovoked and unjustifiable war of aggression against Ukraine, as well as the instrumentalization of illegal migration and hybrid activities against neighbouring states. According to the countries that signed the statement, this further underscores Belarus’s disregard for international peace and security and for its OSCE commitments.
The participants in the statement welcomed the release of several hundred political prisoners but expressed deep concern over continued politically motivated arrests and prosecutions. As a result, the number of people held for political reasons has again begun to rise.
“Release from prison does not necessarily bring an end to repression.”
Former political prisoners face expulsion from the country, continued surveillance, restrictions and the risk of renewed prosecution. Repression is also increasingly extending to Belarusians in exile and their families.
The authors of the statement also expressed deep concern over reports of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in places of detention. These include prolonged isolation and inadequate access to medical care.
“This continued cycle of imprisonment and persecution must end. We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release and rehabilitation of all political prisoners and urge the Belarusian authorities to end their campaign of repression. Those responsible must be held to account.”
The countries that signed the statement reaffirmed that they stand firmly with the people of Belarus in their aspirations for a free, democratic and independent country.
The statement was delivered on behalf of Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Canada, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Denmark. The following participating States also joined the statement: Albania, Austria, Liechtenstein, Malta, Moldova, North Macedonia, San Marino and Slovakia. Slovakia is listed in both groups in the published text.