The campaign appears to be a systematic attempt to silence human rights defenders and prevent the development of a pluralist democratic society.

In a public statement from the meeting, the delegates list numerous examples of how Belarusian authorities strategically iundermine various secvtors of civil society. Most recently, on October 28th, the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, was closed down on order from the Belarusian Supreme Court. The prominent human rights organisation was the last, so far, of eight such organisations to be closed during 2003. Among the already closed are “Ratusha,” “Civic Initiatives” and “Legal Assistance to the Population”. Eleven other non-governmental organisations may also be closed in the near future.

The authorities´ campaign has also been directed at the independent media. The major independent newspaper Belorusskaja Delovaja Gazeta as well as seven smaller newspapers have been suspended by the Ministry of Information for three months. Twenty newspapers have incurred penalties. These measures have already led to the closing of some of them.

In addition to such violations of the freedom of expression and association and the right to be a human rights defender, the right to education in the native language is also becoming increasingly restricted. In what seems like an attempt to control education, the authorities recently closed the Yakob Kolas National Humanitarian Lyceum, the only independent wholly Belarusian-language secondary school.

These events coincide with the build-up to the parliamentary elections scheduled for the autumn of 2004. The HRH Network meeting therefore appeals to Belarusian authorities to reinstate safe working conditions for all individuals and organisations working for democracy and human rights. This appeal is shared by for instance the OSCE Mission in Belarus which recently urged Belarusian authorities to stop their attacks on NGOs and independent media.

The HRH Network draws attention to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Articles 21 and 22, to which Belarus is a state party, expressing the freedom of association and assembly, and to Article 19 of the UNs´ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, guaranteeing the freedom of expression. These rights have also been guaranteed by the Belarusian Constitution. The meeting also refers to Article 1 of the UNs´ Declaration of Human Rights Defenders, stating that “everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, to promote and to strive for the protection and realisation of human rights and fundamental freedoms at the national and international levels”. The meeting urges Belarusian authorities to bring ints conduct in compliance with these commitments.

The delegates to the meeting also appeal to the authorities of all the countries they represent to increase their moral, political and financial support to civil society in Belarus. The meeting also calls upon these authorities to urge their Belarusian counterparts to cease the persecution of civil society and to observe internationally agreed human rights standards. This message can be conveyed through multilateral institutions, but support must also be channelled directly to non-governmental organisations working to promote democracy and human rights, suggests the meeting.