UN Special Rapporteur On Belarus Anais Marin Not Allowed Into Country
- 9.07.2019, 10:32
She is writing a report on human rights in Belarus for the General Assembly.
A week ago, on July 2nd, Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Organization in Belarus Anais Marin presented her report on Belarus at the session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Anais Marin spoke about discrimination against ethnic minorities in Belarus, stigmatization of people with the human immunodeficiency virus, of young people convicted of drugs and psychotropic substances, and so on, Radio Svaboda reports.
Marin notes: the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Belarus is not recognized by the Belarusian authorities from the very establishment of this position in 2012. She says that when she started performing her duties last September, she hoped for a demonstration of "some openness" on the part of the Belarusian authorities, but "the Belarusian government is not ready for it".
Special Rapporteur cannot visit Belarus
The Special Rapporteur complains that she does not receive official information about the situation of human rights in Belarus and cannot officially visit the country - she took information for the report from open sources on the Internet, from diplomats from different countries and victims of human rights violations. It is not easy to verify information obtained in this way "without visiting the country".
Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN Yury Ambrazevich said in Geneva that the situation in Belarus "does not need special attention" from the UN Human Rights Council. Marin says it's the "longstanding position" of the Belarusian authorities, but she is "not sure that we're talking about the same thing in the matter of human rights," and her mandate functions because "the human rights situation in the country remains unsatisfactory".
Anais Marin mentioned the Belarusian problems: the right to life, the use of the death penalty, freedom of the media, pressure on freelance journalists, freedom of speech, the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly.
She mentioned in the UN Human Rights Council that during the election campaigns the Belarusian authorities "use repressive practices" more intensively and "are less inclined to public discussions on important issues".
By the autumn of this year, Marin is going to present another report on human rights to the UN General Assembly. She promises to focus on human rights in it, considering the upcoming "elections".
Marin notes that the Belarusian authorities have not yet implemented the recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE, given following the results of previous election campaigns, and have not introduced any significant changes to the Electoral Code.