July 6, 2023
Cited article by Euronews
HRRC is extremely concerned by the continued and escalating human rights violations being carried out by the Belarusian government. All civilians are at risk of losing rights to freedom of expression, opinion, and assembly. The United Nations and international governments must take action to support the Belarusian people and work toward diplomatic discussion regarding the ongoing abuses.
Article Summary
During the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, UN special rapporteur Anaïs Marin warned that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's regime is deliberately silencing dissenting voices from all of society. Since Lukashenko's crackdown on anti-government protestors in 2020, over 1,500 people have been detained for political reasons, with an average of 17 arbitrary arrests per day. Marin's report also found that children are threatened for expressing any dissenting views of the government.
Marin had alerted the Human Rights Council to the Belarus situation two years ago, when the government took a drastic turn in 2020. She reported that independent media outlets have been branded "extremist" and human rights defenders face constant persecution. Marin also said more than 1,600 "undesirable" organizations were forcibly closed down, illustrating Lukashenko's resolve to restrict freedom of expression and opinion, as well as freedom to assembly.