June 17, UN Council on Human Rights condemned violations of human rights before, during and after the presidential elections in Belarus in late 2010, calling on the Government to stop the "persecution" of opposition leaders. 21 countries voted for the resolution, five opposed and 19 abstained.
The Council expressed regret for the «violence, arbitrary arrests, detention and conviction of politically motivated opposition candidates, their supporters, journalists and human rights activists.» The resolution also expressed regret for the violation of procedural rules, including the right to a fair trial for the demonstrators on December 19, 2010, said the UN News Center.
UN Council «urges the Belarusian government to stop politically motivated prosecution and harassment of opposition leaders, civil society, human rights activists, lawyers, independent media, students and those defending them.»
The resolution also calls for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and association, the termination of «detention and expulsion of international observers.»
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Strongly Condemns UN Resolution
«This document is a product of prevailing in Brussels, biased and not supported by facts, assessments of the situation in Belarus, calculated to represent our country as a special case of non-compliance with human rights,» said the Head of the Department of Information — Foreign Ministry spokesman, Andrei Savinykh.
In his view, «lack of support for the resolution on Belarus by the majority of member-states of the Council on Human Rights has clearly indicated that this document does not reflect the consensus of the international community on the situation in Belarus and in this regard is not credible.»
Andrei Savinykh said «that the resolution undermines the principle of non-selective consideration of human rights situations and will have destructive consequences for the Human Rights Council and UN human rights bodies as a whole.»
The Foreign Ministry noted that Belarus fully complies and intends to continue complying with its obligations under international human rights treaties. Belarus also supports «an open, mutually respectful and equal dialogue on human rights, without discrimination and double standards.»
