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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As Protests Continue Ahead of Presidential Election, Authorities Must Refrain from Violence
The 2020 presidential election season in Belarus has been marked by an unprecedented level of protest activity and a harsh response from authorities. In addition to police violence and arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters, since the end of July the government has been mobilising the military in an attempt to curb protesters’ activities and intimidate the opposition.
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Crackdown on Peaceful Protesters Marks Beginning of Presidential Campaign Season in Belarus
The campaign season for Belarus’ presidential elections, scheduled for August 9, saw sweeping repression against civil society by authorities. Over the past week, authorities arbitrarily detained over 100 peaceful protesters across Belarus, charging them with administrative fines and arrests.
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Restrictions on Lawyers Endanger Human Rights - June 2018
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, an FIDH-OMCT partnership, in collaboration with the Paris Bar and Human Rights Centre “Viasna”, today released a report documenting restrictions on the independence of lawyers in Belarus.
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Death Penalty in Belarus: Murder on (Un)Lawful Grounds - Oct 2016
In Belarus, the rights of people sentenced to death are violated at all stages of the legal proceedings, making the application of death penalty in the country unlawful and arbitrary, said today FIDH and HRC "Viasna" in Minsk during the presentation of their report "Death Penalty in Belarus : Murder on (Un)Lawful Grounds".
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Arbitrary Preventive Detention of Activists in Belarus - Nov 2014
In a report released today, our organisations establish that the authorities in Belarus systematically arrest activists prior to important public events to avoid any protest.
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