UN experts urge Belarus to stop ill-treatment of prisoners convicted under broad terrorism law News
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UN experts urge Belarus to stop ill-treatment of prisoners convicted under broad terrorism law

A group of UN experts on Friday urged Belarus to halt the reported ill-treatment of prisoners convicted of terrorism and extremism charges, and to immediately launch a thorough and impartial investigation into such claims.

Based on the reports received by UN experts, the ill-treatment of three inmates, two women and one man, include denial of proper medical care, inhumane treatment, and exposure to the risk of severe and potentially irreversible deterioration of health. Despite urges to address these allegations, the authorities have not done anything.

The experts highlighted that the imprisonment of one of these inmates could be related to her publications on socio-political issues in the country, violating her freedom of expression. Furthermore, the experts pointed out that the Belarusian laws meant to fight terrorism and extremism are being misused to punish people for using their civil and political rights without giving them a fair chance to challenge these actions.

According to Article 63 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus, terrorism is defined very broadly as any encroachment on the life of a government or public figure related to their official work, aimed at disrupting public order or influencing government decisions, and it can lead to a punishment of 8 to 15 years in prison or even the death penalty. 

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has urged the Belarusian authorities to make sure their laws and practices against terrorism and extremism follow international human rights laws, like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

The Working Group’s most recent statement, released in November 2024, focused on how individuals are treated in the Belarusian legal system. Marfa Rabkova, a human rights defender and coordinator of the Volunteer Service at the Human Rights Centre (Viasna), was charged under Article 293(3) of the Criminal Code of Belarus for “training or preparing people to take part in riots, or funding such activities.” The report set out instances of the Belarusian judicial system’s ill-treatment of Rabkova: being held for 72 hours at the temporary facility, interrogation without the presence of her lawyer, extending pre-trial detention up to seven times cumulatively exceeding two years and five months, denial of her provisional release when in need of caring for her sick father, denial of family visits, and hearing her appeals in her absence.

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