Human Rights Watch: Belarus must release all political prisoners

The international human rights organisation has addressed the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).

The Human Rights Watch has made offers relating Belarus in the framework of the regular evaluation, obligatory for all countries, Radio Svaboda informs.

The organisation notes that over the period since the previous review, the situation with human rights in Belarus has considerably deteriorated, considering the presidential election in 2010 and the crackdown on participants of the peaceful protest and oppositional activists that followed.

Belarus continues to apply death penalty and limit freedom of speech and association harshly, including through persecution and intimidation of journalists and restrictive laws for NGOs, the Human Rights Watch concludes.

The human rights activists recommend to urge the government of Belarus to take the following steps:

- Establish an immediate moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its permanent abolition; continue positive steps towards reform taken with the establishment of the parliamentary working group on the death penalty in 2012;

- Release immediately and unconditionally EvgeniyVaskovich, Nikolai Dedok, Eduard Lobov, Igor Olinevich, VasiliyParfenkov, Nikolai Prokopenko, Nikolai Statkevich and all other political opponents, human rights defenders and activists who have been convicted solely in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights and ensure their full rehabilitation; lift travel and other restrictions imposed on political prisoners who have been pardoned;

- Ensure that Belarus complies with all the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and end all forms of harassment of human rights defenders including arbitrary detention and other acts of retribution against human rights defenders and civil society activists;

- Ensure the absolute prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment and bring detention conditions in places of deprivation of liberty in line with international standards;

- Initiate legislation to repeal article 193.1 of the criminal code, which imposes criminal penalties for participating in unregistered organizations;

- Further amend the law “On public associations” and other legislation governing work of NGOs with a view to ensuring it does not unduly restrict freedom of association; simplify the administrative process for registration of NGOs, and minimize reporting obligations to authorities; allow domestic non-governmental organizations to register and function without undue interference;

- Amend the law “On mass gatherings” to comply with international standards ensuring in particular that any sanctions for violations of organizing mass events are proportionate and do not create undue obstacles to freedom of assembly;

- Grant unfettered access to Belarus for international human rights monitors, including the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and other special procedures mandate holders;

- Ratify and implement the Rome Statute in national legislation, including by incorporating provisions to cooperate promptly and fully with the International Criminal Court and to investigate and prosecute genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes before its national courts in accordance with international law.