STATEMENT
61st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Item 4 - Interactive dialogue on Group of Experts on Belarus
Statement by Mr Tormod C. ENDRESEN, Ambassador - Permanent Representative to the UN and other International Organizations Norway on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic Countries
Check against delivery
12 March 2026
President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States.
I thank the Group of Independent Experts for this comprehensive report and reaffirm our full support for your mandate.
Your findings confirm that the Belarusian authorities have continued to systematically violate human rights. More than one thousand one hundred political prisoners remain behind bars, and arbitrary arrests, inhuman detention conditions, ill-treatment, and torture are systematically used to silence real or perceived dissent.
We are particularly alarmed by the newly verified patterns outlined in your report: re-arrests, forced exile, forced pardons, transnational repression, interference with the rights of the child, as well as violations of human rights for women in detention. These practices demonstrate a policy of repression sustained by a culture of impunity where perpetrators are not held accountable.
We strongly condemn these grave violations and call for the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners. We also call for their effective rehabilitation without forced expulsions and new arbitrary arrests. Belarus must fulfil its obligations under international human rights law.
[We strongly condemn Belarus’ involvement in Russia’s war against Ukraine and its instrumentalization of migrants for political purposes, in complicity with Russia.]
What further measures should the international community take to ensure accountability, and which are most urgent?
Thank you.