UN experts demand probe into Belarus deaths in custody

GENEVA (AFP) : United Nations experts on Wednesday demanded transparent investigations into the deaths of people detained in Belarus for voicing political dissent.

Ruled by President Alexander Lukashenko since 1994, Belarus has outlawed all genuine opposition parties and faces accusations of persecuting dissidents.

“Over the past four years, several individuals identified by human rights defenders as political prisoners have died in custody or shortly after being released,” the UN experts said in a joint statement.

They said the dead included people who took part in protests surrounding the 2020 presidential elections, which rights groups and critics said Lukashenko had rigged.

The call for investigations came from Nils Muiznieks, special rapporteur on human rights in Belarus, plus the rapporteurs on freedom of expression, protecting rights while countering terrorism, and on extrajudicial executions.

UN special rapporteurs are independent figures appointed by the Human Rights Council to report in their field of expertise. They do not speak for the United Nations itself.

The experts raised the cases of three individuals who died in custody.

“It is of the utmost importance to thoroughly investigate the alleged instances of ill-treatment and

neglect that resulted in the deaths,” they said, while highlighting the deaths of others designated as political prisoners by human rights defenders.

“There are strong reasons to believe that these individuals lost their lives in retaliation for exercising their civil and political rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

Presenting an annual report to the Human Rights Council, last month Muiznieks said the rights picture in Belarus was “dire” and getting worse.

The eastern European country still holds more than 1,000 political prisoners in its jails, according to Belarusian human rights group Viasna.

“If these figures are even close to being accurate, Belarus probably has the most political prisoners per capita in the world,” said Muiznieks.