Mobilising for Justice
in Belarus
The ongoing political crisis in Belarus started in May 2020.
On 25 May 2021, Belarusian teenager Dzmitry Stakhouski jumped to his death from a 16-story building. He was facing criminal charges for participation in peaceful protests between 9-11 August 2020. In his suicide note, the 18-year-old wrote that "the Investigative Committee [main investigating authority in Belarus] is to blame." His story is emblematic of the mental and physical suffering the current regime has inflicted on the thousands of people who dared to speak out for a free and democratic Belarus.
Over the last year, numerous participants in the democratic movement have faced widespread and systematic repression from Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s long-standing authoritarian regime. Thousands of protesters have been detained and prosecuted, with hundreds ill-treated and tortured. Many politicians and leaders of the protest movement have been put behind bars or forced to leave Belarus. Many journalists, lawyers, and human rights activists have been attacked for doing their job. At the same time, not a single criminal case has been brought against those responsible for the violent crackdown, despite numerous reports of police brutality and misconduct.
FIDH, along with its member organisation in Belarus, Viasna Human Rights Center, has been closely monitoring the human rights situation in Belarus over the last year. This page provides detailed insight into the persisting human rights violations and repressions in Belarus.
Monitoring the human rights situation
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Monitoring Events & Reactions
A timeline of events and reactions at the international level dedicated to the human rights crisis in Belarus.
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Exposing Crimes & Furthering Justice
Belarus’ legal system and law enforcement, rather than protecting citizens, have become fearsome tools to repress human rights.
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Defending Human Rights Activists
After the crackdown on the political opposition, the Belarus authorities began to persecute human rights defenders.
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Reporting on Human Rights Violation in Belarus
Reporting on Different Types of Human Rights Violation in Belarus.
Latest
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Ongoing judicial harassment against Nasta Loika
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Belarus.
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Months after arbitrary detention, Viasna’s members must be released
It has been a month since law enforcement officers of Belarus arbitrarily detained Viasna’s leadership. This brings the total number of Viasna members behind bars to seven, as four others had been detained previously.
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RSF and OMCT jointly report on Lukashenka’s year-old crackdown on Belarusian journalists
A joint report published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) examines the Belarusian government’s year-old crackdown on journalists.
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FIDH Launches Campaign to Support Incarcerated Human Rights Defenders
Following July’s unprecedented purge of Belarusian civil society, many of our fellow human rights defenders in Belarus are the target of politically motivated prosecution. Not despite being human rights defenders, but because of it. Now, they need your support.
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Global Letter in solidarity with the Belarusian civil society
161 human rights organisations demand an end to the repression against the Human Rights Center Viasna and all other human rights defenders in Belarus. We condemn the systematic arbitrary arrests, beatings and acts of torture they are subjected to.
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Trials of activists and opposition leaders are mere retaliation, FIDH says
On June 24, a trial of several imprisoned leaders of the Belarusian protest movement began at the Homiel detention centre. As such, the detention centre became yet another forum for retaliation against pro-democracy activists.
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Ales Bialiatski, Valiantsin Stefanovic and Uladz Labkovich of Viasna detained (updated on July 19)
At least 13 human rights activists were detained, including eleven Viasna employees, as a result of large-scale attack on human rights defenders in Belarus.
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OMCT: Ongoing crackdown on human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations in Belarus
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, has received new information and requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Belarus.
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Following the adoption of the UN resolution on Belarus, Viasna’s Board member Valiantsin Stefanovic detained along with other human rights defenders
On the morning following the adoption of the UN resolution condemning the human rights situation in the country, Belarusian authorities conducted a large-scale raid on human rights defenders.
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OMCT: Coordinated searches and detentions of journalists and human rights defenders in Belarus
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a partnership of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and FIDH, requests your urgent intervention in the following situation in Belarus.