The UN got questions to the Belarusian government

The United Nations Human Rights Committee published questions to the Belarusian government.

In particular, the Committee asks to inform about a progress and results in enforced disappearances of Viktar Hanchar, Anatol Krasouski, Yury Zakharanka and Zmitser Zavatski, as well as in murders of the founder of the charter97.org Aleh Bebenin, Veranika Charkasava, and Vasil Hrodnikau. The death of Ihar Ptsichkin in a pretrial detention facility No. 1 is also questioned, BelaPAN reports.

The Committee is also interested in measures taken by Belarus to obey Article 7 of the pact, which prohibits tortures and maltreatment. In particular, why the Belarusian legislation does not carry an opportunity to inform in advance the family of a person sentenced to death about the execution date, and the corpse of the executed neither given back to the family or burial place is revealed.

The Committee wants to find out how a fair trial is available for persons accused of crimes for which the death penalty may be imposed, as well as if there is a guarantee of a cassation appeal against capital sentences, inter alia, imposed by the Supreme Court.

A question on investigation of claims about tortures and maltreatment, including statements made by the presidential candidates: Aliaksandr Kazulin in 2006, Andrei Sannikau and Ales Mikhalevich in 2011.

The last report of Belarus on obedience of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights was considered in October, 1997. The next report had to be provided on November 7, 2001. Thus, the submission has been overdue for 13 years.

In late 2011 Belarus submitted only general information on human rights. In February 2014 our country agreed to a simplified procedure of report submission based on urgent issues.