Belarus using justice system to silence Lukashenko critics, say UN experts
The panel said courts, police and prison authorities coordinated to silence opponents, and some abuses since 2020 could amount to crimes against humanity.
- On Tuesday, the Group of Independent Experts reported that Belarus's state institutions have coordinated since 2020 to silence critics through arbitrary arrests, imprisonment, and surveillance, weaponizing the justice system against political opponents.
- These findings emerge six years after mass protests followed the August 2020 election, with Independent Experts noting that abuses since May 2020 may amount to crimes against humanity, including persecution and imprisonment.
- Independent Experts identified "systematic" violations of international human rights obligations, as the report details the judiciary's critical role in legitimizing abuses, including denial of legal safeguards, closed trials, and continued harassment of detainees.
- President Alexander Lukashenko denies holding political prisoners, describing them as "bandits" and insisting authorities acted lawfully, while the government has refused to cooperate with the Independent Experts or address their findings.
- Earlier this month, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski warned that despite recent prisoner releases, "the machinery of repression keeps running" as new political prisoners continue to emerge, indicating the crackdown remains active.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Belarus criminal justice system ‘weaponized’: UN
Belarusian authorities are using the country’s criminal justice system as an instrument of repression to systematically target government opponents, UN investigators said yesterday.A group of independent UN experts at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights tasked with probing the right
Lietuvos Radijas ir Televizija
lrytas.ltBelarus is increasingly terrorizing its citizens abroad, according to independent United Nations (UN) experts. One measure is requiring people whose passports have expired to renew their documents in their home country, where many face arrest.
UN Investigators: Belarus' Criminal Justice System Has Been Turned Into a Weapon to Suppress Dissent
Belarusian authorities are using the country's criminal justice system as a tool of repression to systematically persecute government opponents, United Nations (UN) investigators said Tuesday.
How Belarus Is Using Courts to Crack Down on Lukashenko’s Critics
Belarusian state institutions have worked together to suppress critics of President Alexander Lukashenko’s government through almost every stage of the justice system since 2020, according to independent U.N. experts. A report prepared for the U.N. Human Rights Council says courts, police, security services, prosecutors and prison authorities have operated in a coordinated manner to target […]
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
