The UN Was Urged To Respond To Torture In Belarus
- 8.12.2025, 15:49
The international community is being given a rare chance to succeed.
A new report by the World Organization Against Torture describes how the system of torture in Belarus functions, who it targets, and why the public dissemination of forced confessions should finally be recognized as a separate form of torture or other ill-treatment. Ahead of the next review of the situation in Belarus by the UN Committee against Torture, these conclusions are extremely relevant, says the document, published on the organization's website.
"Torture usually begins almost immediately after arrest," human rights activists note. - People are videotaped when they are frightened, lacking any support and often still showing visible signs of violence. Police officers hand them protocols that must be read to them on camera. These texts may compel them to renounce deep beliefs, apologize to the state, or confess to crimes they did not commit. Survivors describe beatings, threats and humiliation until their account fully complies with the demands of the security services."
The authors of the document emphasize that violence and torture are turned into a public spectacle by the Belarusian authorities.
"The intention is obvious," the document says. - On the one hand, the recordings break the personality, forcing it to contradict its identity, values or community. On the other hand, they serve as a warning to the public: dissent will not only be punished, but also publicly humiliated, and the authorities will act without any restrictions."
The UN Committee against Torture has previously concluded that torture in Belarus is systematic, the authors of the document remind. This new evidence suggests that the public dissemination of coerced confessions has become a distinct and growing practice of abuse that remains unresolved in international law and practice.
"The Committee has a unique opportunity to fill this gap. The World Organization Against Torture emphasizes that the public dissemination of coerced confessions should be recognized as a direct violation of Articles 2, 15 and 16 of the UN Convention against Torture. The Review can and should call for an immediate halt to this practice, demand the removal of these videos from public platforms, and insist that the perpetrators are actually brought to justice.
What is happening in Belarus has significance far beyond its borders. When states start broadcasting forced confessions, they turn human suffering into a political message and manipulate public opinion through fear. They redefine reality, make victims look like criminals and send the message that the rule of law has given way to the rule of force," the report's authors emphasize.
Human rights activists remind that forced confessions videos are designed to destroy dignity and replace truth with fear.
"By exposing this system, the World Organization Against Torture seeks to restore humanity and give a voice to the voices that the Belarusian authorities are trying to silence.
While the UN Committee against Torture is preparing for the next review of the situation in Belarus, the international community has a rare chance to succeed. The question is whether it will seize it. Public humiliation and psychological abuse are not instruments of governance. They are torture. And the world must react accordingly," conclude the authors of the report.