The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) released a press statement on Wednesday condemning the crackdown on free speech and fair trial rights in Belarus following the convictions of 20 experts and analysts in absentia. A Minsk court sentenced these individuals to over a decade in prison for what the OSCE describes as “peaceful activities in support of the political opposition.”
Matteo Mecacci, the director of the OSCE’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODHIR), emphasized that these sentences violate Belarus’ commitments to human rights and the rule of law. Mecacci stated that the convictions should be immediately overturned, urging Belarusian authorities to allow for free speech and expression.
This development underscores ongoing concerns about the lack of judicial independence in Belarus. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, in power since 1994, has faced longstanding accusations of suppressing dissent, issues that have become more pronounced since the contentious 2020 presidential election. Post-election protests led to numerous arrests and reports of torture in detention facilities. Thousands of Belarusians, including opposition candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, fled the country due to fears of prosecution.
Notably, Tsikhanouskaya, who operates an oppositional government from Lithuania, was sentenced in absentia to 15 years in prison in 2023 but has not been extradited. Tsikhanouskaya has since condemned the recent convictions, vowing to continue her struggle for freedom.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed solidarity with those fighting for freedom in Belarus on its independence day through a press statement. Concurrently, the UN Human Rights Council has also called for the release of older political prisoners in Belarus.
A recent annual report by Anaïs Marin, the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights situation in Belarus, reiterated similar concerns about the state of human rights in the country. Marin stated that “repression in Belarus has reached such a scale and intensity that it should not be considered a safe country for anyone who ever showed disagreement with the government or its policies.”
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