Belarus using justice system to silence Lukashenko critics, say UN experts

Belarusian state institutions have been colluding to suppress opposition to President Alexander Lukashenko's government since 2020, according to U.N. experts. These entities - courts, police, security services, prosecutors, and prison authorities - have systematically worked together to silence perceived or actual critics through arrests, imprisonment, and surveillance.

The U.N. experts have detailed how these violations occur from the moment of arrest, through detention, conviction, and post-release supervision. They have found instances of arbitrary arrests, torture, denial of legal protections, closed trials, and ongoing harassment of former detainees. This pattern of abuse remains ongoing, the report asserts, with the judiciary playing a crucial role by legitimizing these abuses and denying victims fair remedies.

The experts, comprised of three independent members, argue that Belarus is accountable for breaches of numerous international agreements and contend that certain offenses since May 2020 could constitute crimes against humanity, namely persecution and imprisonment. The report is prepared by a panel of independent U.N. experts operating individually, not as representatives of any government or the U.N.

Secretariat. This information follows mass protests against the August 2020 presidential election, which the opposition and Western nations claimed was fraudulent. Thousands were detained, and rights organizations continue to document political prisoners in Belarus. President Lukashenko denies holding political prisoners, calling them "bandits," denies electoral fraud, and claims the authorities acted lawfully to restore order.

Recently, former political prisoner and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski stated to Reuters that despite some prisoner releases facilitated by U.S. engagement with Minsk, the repressive machinery persists, with new detainees still emerging.