Rights groups urge renewal of special procedures in Belarus News
Ludovic Courtès, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Rights groups urge renewal of special procedures in Belarus

Human Rights Watch, along with 17 rights organizations, on Monday published an open letter to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), urging it to renew and strengthen respective mandates for the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus and the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus. 

Writing ahead of the HRC’s 61st session, groups argued that renewal of both these mandates is critical to address the unrelenting human rights crisis in the country. Since last year’s report, civil society organizations continue to report grave, systematic and widespread human rights violations committed by the Belarusian government.  

The letter recounted how political prosecutions in the nation continue unabated, with over 1,149 individuals currently detained on political grounds. Many allege torture, ill-treatment, and prolonged incommunicado detention. While hundreds of political prisoners were released in 2025 through presidential pardons, many were reportedly expelled abroad, and both former detainees and exiled Belarusians continue to face harassment and intimidation. 

At the same time, authorities have reportedly expanded a growing information vacuum, dismantled independent civil society and trade unions, and maintained a climate of impunity by failing to investigate credible human rights violations. 

UN “special procedures” are an international system for monitoring human rights situations worldwide. They mandate independent human rights experts to monitor, report and advise on particular global issues or country-specific situations. These individuals are labeled “special rapporteurs” or “independent experts” or working groups composed of five members.  

Since 2012, the Special Rapporteur of Belarus has monitored human rights in the country, reporting annually to HRC and General Assembly. On April 4, 2024, HRC established the Group of Independent Experts to build upon work and follow up on the findings of both the Special Rapporteur and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  

The HRC’s 61st session will take place from February 23 to March 31.

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