12/04/2011 Session
The human rights situation in Belarus has “not improved” since January 2011, on the contrary, and therefore there can be “no progress” in relations between the Assembly and Belarus, according to PACE’s rapporteur on Belarus Sinikka Hurskainen (Finland, SOC).
In an information note made public today, Mrs Hurskainen said “new concerns” had arisen about politically motivated trials, allegations of torture in detention, procedural violations during investigations and trials, and confirmations of death sentences. High-level contacts with the Belarusian authorities should therefore remain on hold.
However, the Assembly should continue to strengthen its dialogue with Belarus’s democratic forces, civil society, opposition groups, free media and human rights defenders, the rapporteur said.
The committee, meeting today during PACE’s plenary session in Strasbourg, held a hearing with prominent human rights defenders from Belarus, who described the human rights situation in the country as being the worst in 15 years. The head of a group of experts from OSCE countries, which is monitoring freedom of assembly and police response measures in Belarus, also explained the OSCE’s “Moscow mechanism”, which has been recently activated in the country.