Belarusian human rights defenders to speak in UN
Human rights activists Aleh Hulak and Tatsyana Ravyaka, as well as lawyer of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Andrei Bastunets headed for Geneva with a visit.
They will talk about the situation with human rights in Belarus. The human rights defenders’ briefing precedes the consideration of the report on the implementation of Belarusian human rights, prepared by Miklos Haraszti.
The 23rd session of the UN Human Rights Council starts in Geneva today. They plan to listen to Haraszti’s report on June 4. The document recommends that the Belarusian authorities should release all political opponents, human rights defenders and activists from prison, immediately and unconditionally.
Miklos Haraszti also recommends that the Government of Belarus should adopt measures to remove all obstacles to the active participation of the public non-governmental organizations and the opposition parties in the political life of the country, and to ensure equitable application of laws in practice.
The official Minsk is recommended to introduce an immediate moratorium on the death penalty with its subsequent cancellation. In addition, the authorities are encouraged to investigate the forced disappearance of several Belarusian politicians and journalists (Yuri Zakharanka, Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasousky and Dzmitry Zavadski), to guarantee the full independence of the judiciary and judges, etc.
Haraszti did not get the opportunity to visit Belarus to study the situation personally, as the Belarusian authorities refused to cooperate with him.
