Invitation to press conference "2nd round of UPR for Belarus: expectations of human rights community"

April 15 at 11 a.m. there will be held a press-conference on the results of the participation of human rights defenders at the pre-session in Geneva on April 8-10, prior to the passage of the second round of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) by Belarus.

The preliminary session was organized by the international NGO UPR-Info to discuss the human rights situation in the countries that would pass the Universal Periodic Review the following month. It was held with the participation of the permanent missions of UN member States, national human rights institutions and civil society organizations.

In March, the Belarusian Foreign Ministry submitted a formal report for the passage of UPR. An alternative report to the UPR, prepared by 11 democratic NGOs, was sent to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations in September 2014.

The press-conference will be given by Deputy Chairman of the Human Rights Center "Viasna" Valiantsin Stefanovich, Chairman of the Belarusian Helsinki Committee Aleh Hulak and an expert of the Belarusian Association of Journalists Aleh Aheyeu.
At the pre-session in Geneva there were presented the recommentations which were elaborated by Belarusian NGOs within the frames of UPR and reflect the views of the human rights community on the problems of human rights in Belarus in various fields. These recommendations will be presented during the press conference.

Also, the human rights activists will talk about their participation in the national consultations within the framework of the procedure of UPR and their work to promote the recommendations among the national delegations of the Human Rights Council.

We invite you to Minsk, Miaržynski Street, 8-26.
For more information, please contact us via:
telephone: +375 (017) 394 63 11
E-mail: viasna@spring96.org