The letter to the Belarusian president:
Human Rights House Foundation condemns the use of force and violence against the peaceful demonstrators on St. Valentine’s Day (14 February) and the Solidarity Day (16 February) in Minsk. We deplore the fact that in Belarus people are deprived of their fundamental right to express dissent peacefully.
The opposition youth movement Young Front has been carrying actions on St. Valentine’s Day, 14 February, since 1997. This year, thousands of activists from Belarus’s Youth Front movement and other youth organizations gathered on Minsk’s Yakub Kolas Square on Saturday afternoon. Although the organisers applied for permission to hold the demonstration, their application was turned down. Despite the fact that the gathering was peaceful, the police and Special Forces from the Ministry of the Interior (OMON) blocked the demonstrators’ way as they tried to march towards Independence Avenue and used force to disperse the gathering, beating many of the activists. Among those that were injured were the youth activists Zmitser Dashkevich, Mikalai Dzemidzenka and Pavel Kurianovich.
Another peaceful rally, organised on 16 February in solidarity with political prisoners and the disappeared people, was also brutally disbanded. Also in this case the application to hold the demonstration was turned down. Opposition leaders and activists, former political prisoners and ordinary citizens came to October Square with portraits of the arrested Mikalay Autukhovich, Yury Lyavonau, Uladzimir Asipenka, Artsyom Dubski and called for their release. Ten minutes after they gathered, dozens of riot policemen and policemen attacked the participants of the rally. People were brutally forced out of the square, knocked down on the ground, kicked and pushed. Among the injured were Zmitser Barodka, Uladzimir Syarheyeu, Andrei Kim, Palina Kuryanovich.
We remind the Government of Belarus that the right to freedom of assembly is protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which is signed and ratified by Belarus. Article 21 of the ICCPR states that “The right of peaceful assembly shall be recognized. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of this right other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (ordre public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.”
In addition, the Declaration on the Rights and Responsibilities of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognised Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms affirms that “for the purpose of promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, everyone has the right, individually and in association with others, at the national and international levels: To meet or assemble peacefully” (Article 5a of the UN General Assembly Resolution 53/144 of 8 March 1999).
As a party to the ICCPR, Belarus has binding legal obligations to protect the freedom of assembly. Although freedom of assembly is provided for under Belarusian law, this freedom is in practice severely restricted. The decisions not to give permission to hold the assemblies of 14 February and 16 February are not in line with Article 21 of the ICCPR and therefore a violation of the freedom of assembly as it is guaranteed in the ICCPR.
In addition, we are concerned about the excessive and disproportional use of force against those that exercised their right to peaceful assembly and remind you that according to the international standards "In the dispersal of assemblies that are unlawful but non-violent, law enforcement officials shall avoid the use of force or, where that is not practicable, shall restrict such force to the minimum extent necessary." (Article 13 of the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law enforcement officials Adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990.)
On the basis of the information above, we therefore urge you not to prevent peaceful actions, meetings and demonstrations, to abstain from the use of force and violence against peaceful demonstrators and, finally, to conduct an investigation into the use of force and violence during the demonstration of February 14 and February 16 in order to bring to justice the initiators and perpetrators.
Signed by:
-Human Rights House Foundation (Norway)
-Norwegian Helsinki Committee
-Human Rights House Croatia (on behalf of the following NGOs):
APEO – Association for Promotion of Equal Opportunities for people with Disabilities
CMS – Center for peace Studies Zagreb
Documenta – Centre for Dealing with the Past
GOLJP – Civic Committee for Human Rights
Svitanje – Association for Protection and Promotion of Mental Health
Women’s Human Rights Group B.a.B.e. – Be active, Be emancipated
-Human Rights House Sarajevo (on behalf of the following NGO’s)
Association of Female Citizens "Renaissance
Foundation CURE
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Regional Co-ordinator for Youth Groups
Serb Civic Council – Movement for Equality – The Council of the Sarajevo Canton Woman and Society Center
-Russian Research Center for Human Rights
-Belarusian Human Rights House in exile (Lithuania)
-Human Rights House Macedonia – Skopje (on behalf of the following NGO’s
Association for Democratic Initiatives (ADI)
The First Children’s Embassy in the World – "Megjashi"
Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of the Republic of Macedonia
Macedonian Women´s Rights Centre (MWRC) – Shelter Centre
Polio Plus – Movement Against Disability
-ARTICLE 19 (United Kingdom)
-Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (Poland)
-Institute for Reporters’ Freedom and Safety (Azerbaijan)
-WARD (Azerbaijan)
-Helsinki Association (Armenia)
-Human Rights Center (Georgia)
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