A resolution on Belarus, adopted on 5 July during session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calls upon the Belarusian authorities to “immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners”, to “investigate fully and transparently into all allegations of torture and inhumane treatment of political prisoners” to “immediately cease the practice of administrative arrests of the opposition, civil society, journalists and human rights defenders and not to hinder their free movement, including the departure from the country”.
UN Human Rights Council also voted for establishing a special rapporteur on Belarus.
Belarusian political analyst Ales Lahviniets commented on establishing a Special Rapporteur: “It is clear that propaganda will say that the UN has made a mistake and fallen under the influence of Western countries. The very fact of such a decision adopted by the UN suggests that Belarus is isolated from the European processes. Belarus is the only country on the continent that has EU and the US sanctions imposed on her. It is the only country that has a UN Special Rapporteur appointed on. Considering the fact that the UN is viewed quite positively in the Belarusian public opinion – of course, for regime’s propaganda this is going to be a massive blow”.
It should be noted that the status of a Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus has already existed. It was established in 2004, when former Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Severin was appointed to this position. The Belarusian authorities refused to cooperate with him from the very start, and he was denied a visa to enter Belarus.
Speaking about the appointment of a new special rapporteur, Adrian Severin stressed the importance and need for dialogue between the Rapporteur and the authorities of Belarus: “The political situation in Belarus is not just the internal affairs of the state. These issues should be discussed together. It will be much better if the Belarusian authorities accept this Rapporteur and begin a dialogue with him. We will see how it goes. But I believe that it is very important to have a dialogue when people are ready for it, if they are willing to cooperate. Such an attitude is necessary for each party, including Belarus”.
On 5 July European Parliament adopted a resolution on Belarus
On 5 July all major political factions of European Parliament adopted a similar resolution condemning human rights violations in Belarus. In particular, they condemned the recent arrest of chairman of the Union of Poles in Belarus and a journalist of Polish “Gazeta Wyborcza” Andrzej Poczobut .The resolution “regretted that the Belarusian authorities make it impossible for the journalists to work, adopting repressive laws to silence public activity”.
Belarusian Foreign Ministry gave a tough assessment of the resolution calling it “one-sided and biased”. “The adopting of the European Parliament resolution on the eve of important political event – the parliamentary elections in Belarus – can not be regarded otherwise than as overtly politically motivated by the European forces who are not interested in fostering neighborhood policy with Belarus”, the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus commented in relation to the European Parliament resolution of 5 July.
“Another call for sanctions against our country, despite the fact that the sanctions policy has long demonstrated its ineffectiveness and futility, only complicates the mutual search for the normalization of Belarusian-European dialogue”.
On 7 July OSCE Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution on Belarus
Two days later, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly called upon the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release and acquit all political prisoners. The resolution was adopted on 7 July during a regular session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Monaco. The document listed political prisoners: Ihar Alinevich, Mikalai Statkevich, Pavel Seviarynets, Ales Bialiatski, Siarhei Kavalenka, Dzmitry Dashkevich, Mikalai Autukhovich, Eduard Lobau, Mikalai Dziadok, Aliaksandr Frantskevich, Pavel Syramalotau, Artsiom Prakapenka, and Yauhen Vaskovich. The resolution also demands from the Belarusian authorities to ensure the full restoration of civil and political rights of the prisoners.
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