President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko has signed a decree pardoning 30 individuals previously convicted of what are classified as “protest-related crimes.” According to the official decree, the pardoned group includes seven women and 23 men. Prosecutor General Andrei Shved stated that these individuals did not commit violent crimes against government representatives; rather, their convictions were predominantly for online insults and slander.
This marks the third wave of pardons in the past month, aligning with a pattern observed earlier when 30 other individuals were pardoned on August 16, following their admissions of guilt, expressions of remorse, and commitments to adhere to the law.
President Lukashenko, often tagged as “Europe’s last dictator,” has led Belarus since 1994. Reports from the Viasna Human Rights Centre indicate that as of the end of August 2024, Belarus holds 1,376 political prisoners, accused of politically motivated offenses, mostly involving criticism of the government.
International human rights conventions like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) protect the freedom of expression, assembly, and association, which remain under scrutiny in Belarus. The European Union has imposed sanctions since 2023 over alleged human rights abuses. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) recently condemned the violations of free speech and judicial independence within the country.
For more detailed information, you can visit the full article here.