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Education for Lawyers – Opening of a Council of Europe Information Centre for Belarusians in Vilnius – Concept for Anti-Discrimination Legislation. The Council of Europe (CoE) continues its steadfast support for enhancing the capacity of Belarusian experts in the fields of equality and non-discrimination. The Belarusian Helsinki Committee contributes its expertise to this important work.
In this text, we provide links to all the analytical reports of the campaign.
Our website and Facebook page have been officially labeled as extremist content. If you're in Belarus or planning to travel there, be sure to follow our safety recommendations to protect yourself and minimize risks!
The first report of the campaign "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" has been published.
Lacking opportunity to organize comprehensive monitoring of the election campaign, send our observers to election commissions and polling stations due to concerns for the safety of observers, we announce the launch of an expert mission aimed at assessing the compliance of the 2025 election campaign with international standards related to the conduct of real, free, and democratic elections, and informing the national and international public about our findings.
As of more than halfway through 2024, there has been no significant surge in the legalization of repressions. The state, like a crocodile that «bit off» a large chunk of rights and freedoms in 2023, is now «digesting» it, focusing on making necessary changes to lower-level regulations and expanding the range of illegal practices.
By the decision of the Court of the Zheleznodorozhny District of Gomel on June 7, 2024, which took place without prior notification and participation of representatives of the organization, the BHC's resources, including the Facebook page and the official website, were recognized as "extremist".
The Belarusian Helsinki Committee and Human Constanta, in collaboration with PEN Belarus and Lawtrend, have analyzed the situation regarding racial discrimination and submitted an alternative report to the Committee. This report addresses issues that have arisen as a result of the authorities' policies since 2020.
On 24 June, German national Rico Krieger was sentenced to death by firing squad by the Minsk Regional Court in a secretive trial. As reported by Human Rights Center Viasna, Krieger, a former employee of the German Red Cross, was inter alia charged with “mercenary activities”, “terrorism”, the “creation of an extremist foundation”, and the “intentional disrepair of a vehicle or communication lines".
In 2023, Belarus Human Rights Index estimate is 2.4 out of 10.
The focus of international advocacy efforts lies in the release of political prisoners and the cessation of the incommunicado regime, as well as the establishment of an independent accountability mechanism to facilitate investigation by the OHCHR into the situation in Belarus and the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus.
All stages of the electoral process were not just administratively controlled by the authorities, but were organized by them to retain power and simulate popular support and consensus in society. This is evidenced by: the lack of transparency in the formation of election commissions; the vertical of power controlling the lists of persons nominated and registered as candidates; campaigning which imitated political activity, while events and their media coverage were focused on general calls to come to vote; persistent forcing of voters to participate in early voting; a climate of intimidation with bans on taking photos and taking away ballots, rhetoric about "extremist plans" and police officers at all polling stations; an opaque procedure for counting votes; the complete absence of independent observers.
It is quite obvious that the fifth death of a political prisoner in places of detention in such a short time due to failure to provide proper medical care is a consequence of a systemic state policy of inhumane treatment of people based on political motives.
The expert election* 2024 observation mission was organized by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Viasna Human Rights Center as part of the "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" campaign. The mission collects and analyzes information about the election campaign based on open sources and messages from voters from Belarus.
The expert election* 2024 observation mission was organized by the Belarusian Helsinki Committee and the Viasna Human Rights Center as part of the "Human Rights Defenders for Free Elections" campaign. The mission collects and analyzes information about the election campaign based on open sources and messages from voters from Belarus.
Statement by the human rights community of Belarus on the death of political prisoner Vadzim Khrasko
We draw attention to the fact that despite Vadzim Khrasko's serious illness and the presence of alternative types of punishments in Part 1 of Article 361-2 of the Criminal Code of Belarus, a judge of the Minsk City Court, Siarhei Khrypach, sentenced Vadzim Khrasko to imprisonment for a period of three years, and the judicial board of the Supreme Court upheld this sentence.
As the year draws to a close, it’s usually time to draw the conclusions. For 2023, we want to openly share the challenges and things that didn’t work out as we anticipated. This is an attempt to reflect on them and encourage our colleagues and partners to do the same, so that we can get better in the next year.
Conducted from November 2022 to October 2023, the research aims to identify the current state of non-formal human rights education provided by Belarusian CSOs, including key problems and challenges in this sphere as seen by both providers and learners.
Of the 266 recommendations received by Belarus in the third cycle, 14 were not assessed due to the lack of sufficient information. The analysis showed that of the 252 recommendations evaluated, only 2 are being implemented by the State, 1 is in the process of implementation, 26 are being partially implemented and 223 are not being not implemented.
We are announcing the launch of an expert mission, aimed at assessing the compliance of the 2024 election campaign with international standards concerning the conduct of real, free, and democratic elections, and to inform the national and international public about our findings.
We call on international organizations and democratic states to take more effective measures to end impunity.
It is essential to emphasize that the fulfillment of human rights obligations by host states concerning Belarusian citizens present on their territory and the failure of Belarus to fulfill its obligations are distinct matters. Even if host states can partially mitigate the consequences of the adopted Decree for Belarusians within their jurisdiction, it will not rectify the violations committed by Belarus.
Statement on the recognition as former political prisoners of people about whom there was no timely information, as well as the need for their rehabilitation.
The state justifies labeling organizations engaged in peaceful human rights work and defending public interests as extremists based on concocted national security and public order reasons when the actual motive is to suppress any dissent against the government’s actions.
This review highlights the substantive changes in Belarusian public policy in the field of human rights and reactions to it of the international community.
The right to life is a right that should not be interpreted narrowly. It concerns the entitlement of individuals to be free from acts and omissions that are intended or may be expected to cause their unnatural or premature death, as well as to enjoy a life with dignity.
We stressed that the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Belarus is an important mechanism for assessing the overall human rights situation, responding to systemic human rights violations and maintaining international attention on the country, and called on the Human Rights Council to extend the mandate for another year.
We state that the initiative of the Prosecutor General's Office is an unjustified interference of the state in the personal life of citizens. It contradicts the international obligations of the Republic of Belarus in the sphere of human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, as well as poses a threat to various vulnerable groups (including, but not limited to the LGBTQ community, teenagers, women).
In an online appeal prepared jointly with Belarusian Association of Human Rights Lawyers, we described the repressive campaign that the Belarusian government is waging against lawyers who defend human rights.
Belarusian authorities should immediately end the ill-treatment of Maria Kalesnikava and all the other political prisoners, 24 international and Belarusian rights groups said today. Kalesnikava is being held in solitary confinement and is not receiving adequate medical care despite serious health problems. She is being denied essential foods and medicines. Since mid-February, Kalesnikava has been denied any communication with her family, including calls, letters, or visits. Her lawyer has had no access to Kalesnikava since February 7, despite repeated attempts to contact her.
The practice of recording “repentance videos” within the walls of the law school threatens with its long-term consequences in the legal community, shows disrespect for law and encouragement of non-legal approaches, means and methods by the administration of the faculty. All this forms completely inadequate ideas among students about law in general, about human rights and the feasibility of their realization. It is difficult to imagine that future lawyers, having gained such “experience” in the implementation of basic human rights, will be able to adequately understand the essence of these rights and protect these rights in the future. The consequences of actions to destroy the basic foundations of legal education, coming from the administration of higher educational institutions, are very deep and difficult to eliminate, therefore it is especially important that these actions receive a principal assessment.
In our statement, we emphasized that the death of Mikalai Klimovich is in no way the first case of death of political prisoners in Belarusian penitentiaries. Furthermore, human rights activists continuously report the lack of proper medical examination, qualified medical personnel, appropriate conditions and equipment, as well as failure to provide medical assistance. We also described the practice of denying medical care for political prisoners to apply further pressure.
We call on the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Belarus and the Investigative Committee of the Republic of Belarus to initiate criminal proceedings on the death of Mikalai Klimovich, conduct an objective and comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of this tragedy, and inform the public about the results.
We also request a review of other instances where the right to healthcare has been violated in detention facilities and urge the implementation of suitable actions to ensure those accountable are held responsible in order to avoid future tragedies. We demand that the Belarusian authorities provide proper medical care in places of deprivation of liberty, including the presence of qualified medical personnel and appropriate equipment.
We endorse the view shared by more than 30 Belarusian and international human rights organizations that the Council should establish an independent mechanism to investigate the most severe human rights violations in Belarus, including crimes against humanity.
We endorse the view shared by more than 30 Belarusian and international human rights organizations that the Council should establish an independent mechanism to investigate the most severe human rights violations in Belarus, including crimes against humanity.
In the report we revealed that at least 40 elderly people are now imprisoned for political reasons, 5 of whom are over the age of 70. Furthermore, in the information provided, we covered other forms of pressure in violation of the right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as the rights to the humane treatment in detention, and to a fair trial, considering that 7 of the 40 elderly political prisoners are on the "terrorist" lists and are not allowed to receive remittances.