UN experts say Belarus justice system used to target Lukashenko opponents

What the report says

UN experts say Belarus’s state justice and security apparatus has been used to suppress critics of President Alexander Lukashenko, in a report due to go before the UN Human Rights Council this week. The report says courts, police, security services, prosecutors and prison authorities have acted in concert since 2020 to target real or perceived opponents through arrests, surveillance, imprisonment and post-release monitoring.

According to the findings reported by Al Jazeera, the experts described patterns of “systematic” violations that ran from arrest to detention, conviction and supervision after release. They cited arbitrary detention, torture, denial of legal protections, closed hearings and ongoing harassment of former detainees. The report also says the judiciary has helped legitimize abuses and has not provided effective remedies for victims.

The article places the findings in the context of the crackdown that followed the disputed August 2020 presidential election, which triggered mass protests and a wave of arrests. Lukashenko, who has ruled since 1994, has long rejected accusations of political repression and Belarus has previously dismissed UN criticism, according to the report. The experts said their requests to visit the country and engage with officials were ignored.

The report says some abuses since May 2020 could amount to crimes against humanity. Rights group Viasna says more than 900 political prisoners remain in Belarus, while US envoy John Coale has recently traveled to Minsk for talks on prisoner releases, underscoring continued international pressure over the issue.