The reaction of the Belarusian authorities to the protest on December 19 in Minsk, may become subject to a "serious international police investigation." This was stated by the head of a long-term international monitoring mission, formed under the Committee of international control over the human rights situation in Belarus, Andrei Yurov.
According to the head of an observer mission, assessment of the situation in Belarus isn’t provided by the mission’s mandate. Nevertheless, Andrei Yurov believes that the Committee of international control over the situation in Belarus could initiate an international investigation. «However, the international community doesn’t need any hysterical screams upon human rights violations, but tangible evidence,» Andrei Yurov said.
While in Belarus, the long-term international observation mission made two statements. The first one pointed to the lack of medical care to have been provided for the arrested and detained protesters. Andrei Yurov said that, according to international standards, such acts were equal to torture and inhuman treatment, the Belarusian service of Deutsche Welle reports.
Belarusian Authorities Deny No Information about Detainees’ Torture, Human Rights Defenders
«This provides a basis for launching the UN mechanism through the Committee on Torture, as well as the Special Rapporteurs,» the head of the observer mission said. He said that the Belarusian authorities had still given no response to the request of the mission’s representatives to «either reliably refute or correct the situation.»
In turn, a member of the advisory council for the ombudsman in Russia Sergei Krivenko, invited to Minsk by the long-term observer mission, said that torture could also be equated with denial in drinking and eating for a long time. These facts are also available to the defenders.
Russian human rights activist also pointed out that the KGB had conducted searches of the defenders’ homes, initiated out of the framework of administrative or criminal cases.
Facts Show Mass Repressions in Belarus, Russian Human Rights Activist
In addition, Sergei Krivenko informed that he would report to Russian President Dmitry Medvedvu on the international observers’ findings within the next month. Sergei Krivenko said that the facts, available to the mission, were sufficient to speak of mass repressions in Belarus.
So, the note of the Belarusian human rights defenders provides the information about the attitude to the protesters, detained on December 19, the course of court proceedings and the conditions of detention in custody. An episode, indicated to by the Belarusian human rights activists, was told by a detainee. He witnessed how another detainee was beaten and, at the same time, made to sing the song «Sania will stay with us.»
Russian Human Rights Defenders Recommend to Follow «Moscow Mechanism»
In addition, Russian human rights activists encouraged the OSCE member countries to initiate «Moscow Mechanism» in connection with the closure of the OSCE Office in Belarus. As explained by Andrei Yurov, this is a test procedure within the OSCE. It allows the OSCE member-countries to make an OSCE member-state (Belarus), allowing the systemic human rights violations, review the reports, prepared by experts, on the violations, identified in the OSCE governing bodies.
Andrei Yurov stressed that it’s necessary not for Belarus’ «punishment» but in order to obtain reliable information about the human rights situation in the country. According to human rights, activists, mission was almost the only source of information for the international community under the closing of the OSCE Office.
