International Observation Mission: 'Violations of rights of citizens of the Republic of Belarus in December 2010 and January 2011 acquired a massive and gross scale'

On 9 February the International Observation Mission of the Committee of the International Control
for the human rights situation in Belarus and the Center of Legal Transformation held a press-conference in Minsk to present the results of the research of testimonies of the people who had been detained during the protest action of 19 December 2010 in Minsk.

205 questionnaires were processed during the study. All of them were filled in handwriting by people who had been detained at the protest action. The age of respondents varies from 18 to 61 years, 162 of them are men and 43 – women.

The results of the study are represented in three directions:

1. Violence and other rude, cruel and degrading treatment on the part of officers of law-enforcement agencies.
2. Violations of human rights at courts and during the procedures connected to the legal proceedings.
3. Violations of the rights of the arrested people in prisons.

'The authorities of the Republic of Belarus weren't ready to such mass actions and failed to secure the rights and freedoms of citizens of the country during the interruption of the mass action, the registration of detainees, their trials and keeping under arrest.

As a result of such unreadiness, violations of the rights of citizens of the Republic of Belarus in December 2010 and January 2011 acquired a massive and gross scale,' this is the general conclusion which is based on the established facts and the conducted analysis, and is set forth in the Analytical Note on the results of the study.

Reference: The International Observation Mission was established by representatives of NGOs of the countries of the OSCE territory and acting on errand of the Committee of the International Control for the human rights situation in Belarus which consists of representatives of human rights organizations of the OSCE countries and international civil associations and networks. The IOM watches the general situation of fundamental human rights in the Republic of Belarus, the protection of human rights defenders and provision of their professional activities.