One of the main outcomes of Alexander Lukashenka’s regime has been the crack-down on opposition leaders and movements, trade unions, non-Orthodox Christian churches and civil society– including human rights NGOs and organisations representing minority rights. None of the following Presidential or Parliamentary elections have been free or fair, and failed to meet international standards.
For more than a decade, human rights abuses have been widespread in Belarus. International human rights organisations, as well as other countries around the world, have expressed their concerns on specific issues, such as the persistence of keeping the death penalty, the violation of freedom of expression, the continued repression of political opponents and the government’s refusal to officially register political parties and NGOs.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
Belarus signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights(ICCPR) in 1973, without any reservation. The ICCPR fully protects citizen’s freedom of expression, an obligation that all signatory states, Belarus included, are due to comply with. Other regional instruments imply similar commitments: Belarus applied for membership of the Council of Europe in 1993, and obtained a guest status. It’s application however, was suspended in 1997 due to the country’s failure to achieve, among other things, a stable democracy based on the respect for human rights. In theory, Belarus would then have strong reasons to comply with the European Convention on Human Rights in order to make progresses towards full COE membership. Nevertheless, the Government persists in it’s continuous oppression of fundamental rights. Hitherto, one of the main accusations brought against the Belarusian authorities is to suppress freedom of speech, muzzle the independent press and deny to the opposition access to state-owned media, enforcing numerous laws aimed at achieving widespread censorship and media control.
For more than a decade, human rights abuses have been widespread in Belarus...countries around the world have expressed their concerns on specific issues, such as the persistence of keeping the death penalty
DEATH PENALTY
Belarus is the only country in Europe that still has the death penalty, ignoring the several appeals for abolition launched by the European Union and international human rights NGOs. The country further confirmed its unwillingness to refrain from the capital punishment by abstaining during the vote of the UN Moratorium on the Death Penalty in 2008.
Nonetheless, according to human rights organisations, some small progresses have been recently registered. For the very first time since Belarus independence, in 2009 the issue of death penalty was granted wide public attention: more than 30 famous cultural and civil activists, human rights defenders, lawyers and scientists called for serious measures to be taken towards abolishing death penalty, or at least to implement a moratorium on executions. Within the frame of the Human rights defenders against death penalty in Belarus campaign, the activists signed a petition calling upon the Presidential Administration to annul capital punishment in the country.
REPRESSION OF POLITICAL OPPONENTS AND CIVIL SOCIETY
Under Lukashenko’s 12 years rule, political repression in Belarus has been rampant. Between 1999 and 2001 several opponents disappeared under mysterious circumstances, while their bodies have never been found. According to numerous reports the disappearances have ended, but human rights NGOs rebuked the Belarusian authorities for still preventing the political opposition from reaching the public on any issue whatsoever.
Between 1999 and 2001 several opponents disappeared under mysterious circumstances, while their bodies have never been found
Other forms of repression are implemented against civil society. Many of the human rights NGOs operating in Belarus face registration problems, and several of them remain eventually unregistered. Furthermore, the government harasses both registered and non-registered NGOs, ignoring all their reports and refusing to establish any form of cooperation.
In conclusion, it is more than evident that the Belarusian civil society is aware and mobilised against the unlawful practices of President Lukashenka’s regime: nonetheless, they need more assistance in their efforts to reverse the current status quo. Only with these advances can Belarus effectively move towards democracy, and effectively protect its citizens’ human rights.
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