News on the topic: human rights
12.09.2017 Ales Bialiatski: West tends to downplay repression in Belarus
The Belarusian House Foundation in Warsaw hosted yesterday, September 11, a side event as part of the OSCE ODIHR Human Dimension Implementation Meeting 2017. The event entitled “Human Rights in Belarus – From the Case of Patriots to the Case of Labor Unions” involved several Belarusian human rights defenders and focused on this year’s wave of repression in Belarus, including the ‘White Legion case’ and the criminal charges against trade union leaders.
07.09.2017 Stefanovich: “The emergence of principles for human rights defenders will boost proficiency in the community”
The Human Rights Center "Viasna" has joined the Principles of Human Rights Work in Belarus. According to the organization’s chairman Ales Bialiatski, the decision was taken at a meeting of Viasna’s Council on September 4.
07.09.2017 Principles of Human Rights Work in Belarus
This document presents a set of professional and ethical principles determining the requirements for human rights defenders and their professional activities. It is based on the ethical criteria and traditions of human rights work in Belarus, as well as on the international standards and rules for human rights activities.
04.09.2017 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: August 2017
In August, the authorities continued the policy of repression against civil society activists and the political opposition.
02.08.2017 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: July 2017
The government of Belarus still adheres to the policy of repression against civil society activists and members of the political opposition, which started in the spring of this year, while assumptions of its mitigation are still premature.
10.07.2017 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: June 2017
The closing of a series of criminal cases with clear political motives and the release of all the persons arrested on the eve of March 25, prompt cautious optimism, but do not testify to a change of the government’s policy in the field of protecting human rights as a whole and do not give grounds for claims of less repressive practices as an established trend.
04.07.2017 Miklós Haraszti Visits Minsk upon OSCE Invitation
The Special Rapporteur on Belarus Miklós Haraszti will take place in the 26th annual session of the PA OSCE that is held on July 5 – 9 in Minsk.
23.06.2017 UN Human Rights Council adopts critical resolution on Belarus and extends mandate of Special Rapporteur
The United Nations Human Rights Council has voted today at its 35th session to approve the resolution of the situation of human rights in Belarus.
15.06.2017 UN expert urges continued scrutiny as Belarus enters new cycle of repression
The United Nations Special Rapporteur Miklós Haraszti yesterday described the severe crackdown on peaceful protesters in February-March of this year as revealing the cyclical nature of oppression of human rights in Belarus. He also warned that the trials underway potentially lead to a new set of political prisoners.
09.06.2017 FIDH: UN must demonstrate its capacity to react
Facing criticism once again, the Human Rights Council must demonstrate its relevance at its June session which opened yesterday. Belarus, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, among others... FIDH and its members voice their priorities for this 35th session.
08.06.2017 UN High Commissioner slams Belarus over refusal to cooperate with human rights mechanisms
Governments around the world should not refuse to cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms, High Commissioner for human rights Zeid Raad al-Hussein said at the opening of the 35th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
06.06.2017 PACE Rapporteur advises against resumption of Belarus's special guest status
The Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly has published a draft resolution on Belarus, which will be put on a vote on June 27 at the PACE summer session in Strasbourg.
05.06.2017 Human Rights Situation in Belarus: May 2017
The month was marked by a continued negative trend evidencing the deterioration of the overall human rights situation in the country.
02.06.2017 Belarusian human rights defenders urge UN Human Rights Council to extend Special Rapporteur’s mandate
From 30 May to 1 June, Valiantsin Stefanovich, lawyer of the Human Rights Center "Viasna", and Hanna Herasimava, Director of the Barys Zvozskau Belarusian Human Rights House, met with the delegations of various countries to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to inform them about the situation with human rights in Belarus.
23.05.2017 Belarus backsliding badly on human rights: U.N. report
The Belarus government has returned to a policy of large-scale repression, causing a dramatic deterioration in human rights, according to a report published on Monday for submission to next month's session of the U.N. Human Rights Council.
