Belarus representatives duck dialogue at UN Human Rights Council
On 14 March, the 16th session of the UN Human Rights Council adopted a joint statement on the situation in Belarus, which was signed by 45 countries, including all the EU members. The statement calls the Belarusian authorities and President Aliaksandr Lukashenka in particular to promptly and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all the persons arrested on political grounds after the 19 December 2010 election.
The Belarusian government was also recommended to fully cooperate with the UN High Commissioner’s Office and other UN human rights instruments. The 45 countries that signed the appeal reminded the representatives of Belarus about a proposition to arrange a briefing on human rights developments in the country.
However, in their back speech, the representatives of Belarus said: “We do not consider it necessary to comment on the unfounded accusation stated in the appeal.” The Belarusian delegation said the joint statement was “a disavowal of an earlier invitation to a briefing” and an evidence of the briefing initiative “having nothing to do with a dialogue to be the basis for considering human rights issues.”
