Harry Pahaniajla: None of the decisions of the HRC on Belarus are recognized

One of the speakers during the next session of the UN Human Rights Council will be the Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, Miklós Haraszti, who met with Belarusan media on February 18.

Let us recall that Situation with human rights in Belarus will be high on the agenda at the next session of the UN Human Rights Council. "A key EU priority for the 23rd session of the HRC in June will be the situation of human rights in Belarus which continues to give rise to grave concern", - says in conclusions of the Council of the EU, adopted in the preparation to regular session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Human rights defender, member of Belarusan Helsinki Committee Harry Pahaniajla commented on the human rights situation in Belarus: "The human rights situation in Belarus is really deteriorating, and the violations are systemic. Big number of UN resolutions and UN Committee on Human Rights resolutions which are aimed at improvement of human rights situation in the country are not respected. In fact, none of the decisions of the Committee on Human Rights, which considered individual complaints of Belarusan citizens and admitted responsibility of the Belarus state, are recognized or enforced. Naturally, such irresponsible behaviour is not ignored and the situation of human rights in Belarus is under the control of the UN. I do not exclude that in June we will hear the report of Special Rapporteur, who was appointed by the UN. According to this report, the respective decision on Belarus will be adopted."

Since 1993, when Belarus has ratified the relevant international agreements, the UN HR Committee considered 22 complaints from Belarus. "None of the complaints which were satisfied by the UN received a positive decision in Belarus which would restore the violated right of a citizen," - said Harry Pahaniajla. According to the human rights defender, now there are about a hundred complains from Belarus waiting in the UN Committee on Human Rights for their turn to be considered.

One more topic for concern is the fact that the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, Miklos Haraszti, is not issued the Belarusan visa. That is why on February 18 at the invitation of the Human Rights House Foundation he met the representatives of Belarusan media in Kyiv. Kyiv has been selected for a meeting to discuss the problems of the Belarusan media because the Belarusan authorities still do not recognize the mandate of Haraszti and do not give him a visa.

"I applied for a Belarusan visa several times, and I'm still waiting for a visa. However, I have hope for cooperation with the Belarusan government, because it is in his best interest," - said Haraszti.

First of all Haraszti wants to explore the situation with political prisoners, prison conditions, as well as the practice of freedom of speech, assembly and association. "The most important issue is to involve the government in cooperation within the framework of the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, so we can declare to the international community that Belarus is among the states that are fully cooperating in the field of human rights."

Miklos Haraszti is going to present his report on the human rights situation in Belarus in June 2013 before the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, and in October - before the UN General Assembly.

Published on humanrightshouse.org