In Belarus, the human rights situation has continued to deteriorate over the past two years. This is the finding of a report commissioned by 38 (mainly Western) member states of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and discussed on Thursday at the OSCE Council in Vienna.
Tightening of criminal and administrative law and the constitution as well as the practice of repression violate numerous OSCE principles: On “political rights and the democratic process, freedom of assembly and association, the right to freedom of expression and the right to access information, the right to liberty and security, the right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the right to a fair trial and the right to an effective remedy”. There are at least 1,486 political prisoners.
Like Russia and all EU and NATO countries, Belarus is a member of the OSCE. Although it would be obliged to cooperate, it has not allowed the rapporteur, the French international law expert Hervé Ascensio, to enter the country.
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