The United Nations Group of Independent Experts on the Human Rights Situation in Belarus has reported that the government of Belarus engaged in extensive human rights violations, rising to the level of crimes against humanity, to suppress opposition to President Aleksandr Lukashenko [full report]. The group detailed the pervasive use of oppressive measures in 2024, which resulted in the dissolution of at least 228 civil society organizations and increased prosecutions for online dissent. The misuse of anti-extremism and anti-terrorism laws became a tool to suppress civil society activists, lawyers, and journalists [press release].
Beyond the curtailment of civil freedoms, extensive rights violations against detainees by security forces were recorded. These included torture, ill-treatment such as beatings, electric shocks, as well as threats of sexual violence. Marginalized groups, including LGBTIQ+ individuals, faced further discrimination, prompting a mass exodus of Belarusians fearful of being targeted.
The judicial system’s compromised state has severely impacted fair trial rights. Arbitrary arrests for expression and assembly occur against a backdrop of unfair trials reliant on coerced confessions oftentimes obtained through torture. Lawyers have faced persecution, with their ability to defend clients hampered by the Belarusian Bar Association’s subjection to the Ministry of Justice.
The experts concluded that the Belarusian government’s actions constitute crimes against humanity, including imprisonment and political persecution, aligning with the International Criminal Court’s framework of elements of crimes [elements of crimes]. The act of arbitrary detention and discrimination for political reasons prominently featured in the allegations.
In the broader international context, the European Union, in August 2024, expanded sanctions targeting additional Belarusian officials implicated in internal repression [EU sanctions expansion]. Simultaneously, Lithuania has urged the International Criminal Court to initiate investigations into these alleged crimes [Lithuania ICC referral]. This increasing international scrutiny underscores the gravity of the situation in Belarus.