Human rights defenders held several consultations on a wide range of issues concerning the human rights situation in Belarus with the UN Special Rapporteur.

Among those who represented Belarus there were Valiantsin Stefanovich, the deputy head of the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”; Tatsiana Reviaka, President of the Belarusian Human Rights House; Anna Gerasimova, director of Belarusian Human Rights House; Aleh Hulak, chairperson of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee; Dzmitry Charnykh, the lawyer of BHC; Zhanna Litvina, chairperson of the Belarusian Association of Journalists; Ina Kuley, chairperson of Salidarnasts (Solidarity), an organisation that provides support to victims of political persecution in Belarus; Liudmila Hraznova, chairperson of the Human Rights Alliance; Alena Krasouskaya-Kaspiarovich, deputy chairperson of a prisoners’ rights organisation Platforma (Platform); Aleh Vouchak, chairperson of Legal Assistance to the Population; Yury Chavusau, the lawyer of the Assembly of NGOs, and Siarhei Ustsinau, Belarusian human rights defender. Valiantsin Stefanovich as the representative of “Viasna” made a presentation on political prisoners in Belarus, as well as analyzed the situation on the freedom of peaceful assembly in the country.

The meeting was also attended by several representatives of international organisations. In particular, Sacha Koulaeva, Head of Eastern Europe and Central Asia Deck of International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), and Ms. Fiona Frazer, regional representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, who used to work at the OSCE office in Minsk. 

This is the first meeting of the Belarusian human rights defenders with the new United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus. Established cooperation will further continue, within the mandate of special rapporteur.

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The decision to renew the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus was adopted on 28 September in Geneva during the 21th session of the UN Human Rights Council. Miklós Haraszti, Hungarian diplomat, was appointed for this position and on 1 November he officially started to work. In the first statement on this position he called for open dialogue with civil society and the government of Belarus for the promotion and protection of human rights in the country.

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