Belarus: Violations remain ‘widespread and systematic’, says independent expert group

The Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus established in 2024, was tasked with investigating alleged violations since 2020 – when a disputed election saw President Alexander Lukashenko returned to power for a sixth term – and recommending steps toward accountability.

The group was established last year for a renewable period of a year. Like all independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council, they serve on a voluntary basis, are not UN staff, receive no salary and are are independent of any government.

In their latest findings presented to the Council, the experts documented arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence and the persecution of political opponents.

The report details targeted abuses against LGBTQIA+ individuals, political activists and journalists, alongside sweeping legal changes aimed at eradicating all dissent.

The violations, the experts concluded, are part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians critical of the Government.

Campaign of fear and repression

The experts’ findings state that Belarusian authorities systematically detain critics on politically motivated charges, often subjecting them to repeated imprisonment under inhumane conditions.

Arrests are frequently carried out using excessive force, together with threats and intimidation.

Detainees report being beaten, subjected to electric shocks, and even threatened with rape– not only against themselves but also against their family members.

The regime’s actions go beyond repression, with reasonable grounds to believe that some violations amount to “imprisonment and persecution on political grounds”, the report said.

Torture and sexual violence

Widespread torture and ill-treatment are documented, particularly within temporary detention facilities and penal colonies.

Men and women detained on political charges are routinely subjected to extreme conditions: some deprived of sleep, packed into overcrowded cells without basic hygiene and denied medical care.

Many detainees describe being forced to make “repentance videos” after suffering physical and psychological abuse.

The targeting of LGBTQIA+ individuals is particularly brutal, with security forces using homophobic slurs, beatings and sexual humiliation.

In one instance, a transgender woman was severely beaten, threatened with rape and forced to confess to crimes she did not commit, the experts report.

A crackdown beyond borders

Hundreds of opposition figures, activists and journalists have been charged in absentia for alleged crimes such as “discrediting” the State. Their properties have been seized and their families in Belarus have faced harassment and intimidation.

“The orchestrated campaign of violence and mistreatment was directed against Belarusians perceived as being critical of, or opposed to, the Government,” the experts noted.

Conclusions show that such persecution extends beyond Belarus’s borders, leaving those in exile vulnerable and their families at home under pressure.

Systematic persecution

The experts determined that Belarus’s actions amount to crimes against humanity, citing imprisonment, torture and persecution on political grounds as part of a widespread and systematic attack on civilians.

They stressed that accountability is critical, emphasising that “identifying and prosecuting perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against humanity is key to ending Belarus’s culture of impunity and integral for the victims to receive justice.”