47TH SESSION OF UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Item 4 - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
Intervention by the Nordic – Baltic States delivered by the
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Dr MANTAS ADOMĖNAS
5 July 2021
Madam President,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic countries Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden and my own country Lithuania.
I would like to thank the Special Rapporteur for her report, which outlined the extent of serious human rights violations committed by Belarusian authorities in the context of the fraudulent elections of August 2020. It also reflects the long-standing, chronic patterns of systemic human rights violations in the country unprecedented in scope and gravity.
Recently we witnessed the new wave of harassment, intimidation, and persecution of human rights defenders and especially journalists. We urge Belarus to stop this practice, to release immediately, unconditionally and rehabilitate all those arbitrarily detained for exercising their human rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of opinion and of association.
International community sends a clear message to Belarussian authorities that all perpetrators of serious human rights violations, including torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, and enforced disappearances must be brought to justice.
Continued international scrutiny of the worsening human rights situation in Belarus should be maintained and the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation in Belarus should be extended.
I thank you.