Fake human rights defenders from Belarus visit Brussels and Strasbourg

The Belarusian authorities create sham human rights organisations.

Human rights defender Alena Tankachova suddenly discovered that Belarusian civil society is much wider than she used to think. She revealed it during her recent visit to a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

“There was a man who said he represented the organisation “Public association for protection of human rights”, which, according to him, had been working in Brest State University for over 10 years. The organisation allegedly unites representatives of the academic staff –  teachers of law and liberal studies,” Tankachova told Euroradio.

No one has ever heard about this organisation and its activity. Even a Google search didn't help to find anything on the organisation. It would not be strange if the human rights association were governmental, Tankachova says. But Aliaksei Tratyakou, who represented the Public Association, claims it is an NGO.

Journalists found the Public Association for Protection of Human Rights and its head in Brest. The organised it run by Ivan Karliar, a lecturer at Brest State University. It really exists since 1996.

“Our organisation deals with education in the human rights sector. It helps with conferences and workshops held in our university every year,” Katliar said.

A few months ago, having been re-elected as the organisation head, Katliar took a decision:

“A decision was taken to widen the organisation's functions. It will deal with both legal assistance and information activities.”

He says it was his own idea. A visit of a representative of the Public Association for Protection of Human Rights to Strasbourg seems to have been the first step for restructuring. But why then was the organisation represented not by the chair, but by a person, who only recently became a member of the organising committee?

“I don't know. Perhaps he was sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” Katliar says.

Presence of an unknown human rights organisation at the meeting of the Council of Europe can be explained by the fact that European officials are looking for  a “compromise representation of the Belarusian civil community”.