Belarusian MFA to Viciebsk human rights activist: The state is not obliged to publish decisions of UNCHR

The UN Committee on Human Rights (CHR) has taken a few dozen decisions that recognized Belarus a violator of the rights of citizens. In its decisions the HRC, inter alia, requested the Republic of Belarus to publish them and ensure their wide dissemination in the country in Belarusian and Russian languages.

Pavel Levinau appealed to the Foreign Ministry to find out how the request of the HRC is performed, and was told that the state is not obliged to do so.

The standard text, that has been for several completing every decision the HRC, which recognizes human rights violations by Belarus, reads: "The State party is also requested to publish these considerations and to ensure their wide dissemination in the State party in the Belarusian and Russian languages".

Human rights activist Pavel Levinau decided to find out how the recommendations of the authoritative international body are performed by the Belarusian authorities, and sent a request to the Foreign Ministry regarding the decisions on the complaints of a few people, mostly residents of Viciebsk, including himself.

He asked the Foreign Ministry to inform him where the Republic of Belarus had published the decisions the HRC, and explain how these solutions had been disseminated on the territory of the Republic of Belarus in Belarusian and Russian languages.

He received a reply by Deputy Minister Valiantsin Rybakou:

"With regard to the publication of communications of the Committee, in accordance with para. 4, Art. 5 [Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights] "The Committee shall forward its views to the State party and to the individual." There are no other requirements for communications of the Committee under the Optional Protocol. Therefore, the right to decide whether to spread the Committee's views on the Belarusian and Russian in the State party belongs to the State party itself. According to the practice established in the Republic of Belarus, the views of the UN Committee on Human Rights on on all communications are directed to the Supreme Court, the General Prosecutor of the Republic of Belarus and other competent state bodies. "

Foreseeing that the HRC decision haven't been published for a wide public, the human rights defender asked to pass such information at least to himself. "Please ... send to my mail address the [aforementioned] Decisions of the UN Committee on Human Rights", wrote Mr. Levinau in his address to the Foreign Ministry.

Deputy Foreign Minister replied to Levinau that sending him the decisions regarding his own communications is inexpedient, since they have been already sent to him by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Viciebsk Viasna