The Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights made a statement about the situation in Belarus

International Observation Mission
Committee of the International Control
for the human rights situation in Belarus 

Press Release

‘The Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights made a statement about the situation in Belarus’

February 1, 2011 President's Council of the Russian Federation for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights made a statement about the situation in Belarus. In this statement, the members of the Presidential Council condemned human rights violations that were committed during and after December 19. They are worried about the silence of official Russia in connection with what is happening in Belarus. Members of the Council believe that it lets the Belarusian authorities regard it as an endorsement of their illegal and violent actions. In a statement, Council members urged the Russian authorities to assess the actions of the authorities of the Republic of Belarus and to condemn the numerous violations of human rights.

Also in the statement, the Council expressed support for the work of the Committee of international control over the human rights situation in Belarus and the International Observation Mission.

Such a statement is made possible, including due to the fact that two members of the Presidential Council Sergei Krivenko and Valentin Gefter personally visited the Republic of Belarus and met human rights defenders in Belarus within the framework of the mission.

 "We fully support all the points of application of the Presidential Council of the Russian Federation for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights, and expect the authorities of Russia and Belarus for resolute action to correct the situation and restore human rights in Belarus" - said the representative of the Mission Igor Sazhin.

Below is the full text of the statement:

"Statement by the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights on the situation in Belarus.

We appeal to those who are concerned about the situation in Belarus in a month after the brutal crackdown of a peaceful demonstration in Minsk on December 19, when one night with a disproportionate and unjustified use of force had been detained over 600 people. Arbitrary detention, cruel and inhuman treatment of detainees, including denial of medical care, procedural violations in administrative proceedings, searches and seizure of property from non-governmental organizations, the pressure on lawyers, intimidation, threats of dismissal from work and expulsion of students continued throughout the past period.

More than 30 people, including two Russians, were given criminal charges, among them - almost all former presidential candidate, well-known figures of culture and science. Most of them, including women and ill persons who are detained in unnecessarily rigid insulation, are deprived of meetings with family and free access to lawyers.

Large-scale persecution of citizens protesting against the policies of their government is carried out in the state which is in union with Russia, there are massive violations of human rights, including freedom of expression, public assembly and association. The prohibition of inhuman and cruel treatment is not ensured, the right to fair trial, the independence of lawyers and the protection of human rights defenders are not secured.

We are particularly concerned about the silence of official Russia in connection with what is happening in Belarus. It gives reasons to the Belarusian authorities to regard it as an endorsement of their illegal and violent actions.

In his video blog the fall of 2010, President Medvedev said that the Belarusian authorities should solve internal problems of the country and investigate numerous cases of disappearances, noting that Russia, like other countries, is not indifferent. The situation in Belarus has since changed into a much more dangerous direction, and the persecution of dissidents is gaining momentum.

We believe that the Russian authorities should immediately:
- assess the misdeeds of the authorities of the Republic of Belarus during and after the events of 19 December 2010 and to condemn the numerous violations of human rights;

- to use diplomatic and other opportunities, including within the Union State, in order to urge the Belarus authorities to restore the rule of law, prevent violence and violations of human rights, adherence to international commitments in the human dimension, to stop the pressure on civil society;

- to support the treatment of the public on the initiation of the "Moscow Mechanism" of the OSCE in the light of the serious threats to compliance with the obligations of Belarus in the human dimension;

- to apply to the authorities of Belarus with the request to find a legitimate opportunity of release from custody of the accused in the riots to facilitate the realization of their right to be protected during the investigation of the events of 19 December;

- to urge Belarusian authorities not to hinder monitoring the situation in the country and investigate the events of late 2010, strictly observing the requirements of national legislation and international standards on human rights.

It is necessary to urgently re-establish an equitable dialogue between the non-political civil society and the authorities of the Republic of Belarus. This could be done within the profile of the Council under the Presidential Administration of Belarus or a "platform", including with the assistance of our Russian colleagues. The necessary conditions for such dialogue can become non-interference in the legitimate activities of NGOs, the return of confiscated office equipment; transparent investigation into abuse of power by those who conducted the detentions; decriminalization of unregistered NGO participation and facilitation of the registration of NGOs, a National Action Plan for Human Rights and effective measures to protect human rights defenders and support their activities.

We, the members of the Presidential Council for the Promotion of Civil Society and Human Rights, the International Committee supporting the work of monitoring human rights situation in Belarus and the International Observation Mission NGOs established by it are willing to make efforts to develop relations of public institutions in both countries and the solidarity of our citizens.

Signatures:

Svetlana Aivazova, Lyudmila Alekseyeva, Lev Ambinder, Alexander Auzan, Gary Chmykhov, Svetlana Gannushkina, Valentin Gefter, Alexei Golovan, Yuri Dzhibladze, Kirill Kabanov, Sergei Karaganov, Sergei Krivenko, Ida Kuklina, Fyodor Lukyanov, Tamara Morshchakova, Dmitry Oreshkin, Elena Panfilova, Mara Polyakova Boris Pustyntsev, Alexei Pushkov, Alexei Simonov, Svetlana Sorokina, Sergei Tsyplenkov, Igor Yurgens, Irina Yasina.