The British branch of the international human rights organization Amnesty International published a report on human rights violations on December 13, recorded in the run-up to the presidential elections in Belarus. According to the report, the Belarusian authorities regularly violate the rights of citizens, including freedom of speech and of peaceful protests.
In addition, Amnesty International states that human rights activists in Belarus have been persecuted. The head of the British branch of Amnesty international Keith Allen has expressed serious concern about unfair trials and torture of detainees.
Human rights activists believe that the judicial system in Belarus still retains many features of the repressive Soviet system. «Judges generally do not perform their duties to independently and impartially rule over the legality of arrest or detention of suspects, as well as the need for their further detention. There is ample evidence that the investigators, willing to solve the crime, sometimes resort to torture and other ill-treatment, forcing the detainee to confess to a crime,» rights activists state.
Belarus — Last Executioner of Europe, Amnesty Iternational
The international human rights activists drew attention to the fact that Belarus continues to execute the death sentences. The Amnesty International UK said that Belarus is «the last executioner of Europe.»
International human rights activists also highlighted the lack of freedom of speech among the major human rights problems in Belarus. Amnesty International UK reported that the majority of Belarusian printed and electronic media remained under state control, and state monopoly had been actually imposed on the distribution of printed media.
Concerns about human rights are also caused and by the decree № 60 «On measures to improve the use of the national segment of the Internet.» Human rights activists believe that some items of the decree may give authorities too much discretion to limit access to specific information sources.
Amnesty International UK also draw attention to the fact that Belarusian authorities are still not allowed to hold citizens’ demonstrations, picketing and other public events, thus violating their statutory rights to freedom of assembly. This concerns not only the political opposition, but also representatives of sexual orientation, denied in public actions by the city officials.
In addition, Amnesty International UK state that Belarus lacks necessary resources to combat violence against women.
