Inimõiguste Nõukogu 35. sessioon
Statement by Estonia
Reportof the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
Genf, 14 juuni 2017
Mr President,
Estonia fully aligns itself with the statement made bythe European Union.
Estonia would like to express its appreciation for the workdone by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Mr.Miklós Haraszti. The continuedlack of cooperation by the authorities of Belarus with the Special Rapporteuris most regrettable, as is the general assessment of the report that the human rights situation in Belarus hasseen a dramatic deterioration during the last year. Under these circumstances, Estonia supportsthe extension of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur.
We share theview of the Special Rapporteur that the way how peaceful demonstrators were metby the authorities of Belarus in spring this year, has to be condemned. We callon the Government of Belarus to end the policy of mass arrests and arbitrary detention as a response to peacefulassemblies, or arresting political opponents on trumped-up criminal charges andon a “preventive” basis. We urge Belarus to release all prisoners who weredetained under these charges. We also call on Belarus to change its CriminalCode to avoid curtailing the freedoms of peaceful assembly and of associationin the future.
We took note of thefirst registration of an organization in Belarus during several years, as themovement “Tell the Truth” was registered in May. We hope that this does notremain a single case and the authorities continue registering civil societyorganizations and political parties that have been denied official recognitionso far.
Finally, we callon the authorities of Belarus to fulfil their international obligations andcooperate fully with all UN human rights mechanisms and special procedures. Weurge the Government of Belarus to fully implement all the recommendations madeby the Special Rapporteur in his report. We would particularly like toemphasise the importance of introducing,as a first step, a moratorium on executions, leading to the total abolition ofthe death penalty.
Thank you!