Last week, Belarus told this council that conditions in the country are “constantly improved for the population to exercise the entire range of human rights,” and that state institutions are “formed in accordance with democratic principles.”
The truth is completely different.
Just last month, in this building, UN Watch had the honor to host the President-elect of Belarus, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, when she opened the 18th annual Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy.
She testified how the August 2020 presidential election was stolen from the people of Belarus, who voted for freedom and change, only to be met with brutal crackdowns, arbitrary arrests, women dragged by their hair, and teenagers tortured in prison cells.
State institutions were not formed “in accordance with democratic principles”; they were forced on the people of Belarus through brutal violence and the suppression of fundamental human rights.
We urge the United Nations to heed the appeal of the President-elect: “Do not normalize the regime. Do not trade principles for convenience. Do not forget the names of our hostages.”
Mr. President, there are currently over twelve hundred political prisoners being held behind bars in Belarus.
Teachers, students, and journalists have been arbitrarily detained and tortured for refusing to accept the undemocratic and unjust rule of Alexander Lukashenko.
UN Watch was relieved in December to hear of the release of Maria Kalesnikava, for whom we had campaigned over several years. Yet sadly, thousands of prisoners are still being held hostage.
Mr. President, we call on the authorities in Belarus to release all political prisoners and to respect the human rights and democratic principles that they claim to uphold.
Thank you, Mr. President.
