Belarus: UN Human Rights Council’s report finds widespread and systematic violations

UN Human Rights Council-mandated independent experts monitoring Belarus presented in February 2025 a report A/HRC/58/68  which concludes that the authorities are responsible for committing widespread human rights violations. They include arbitrary arrests, torture, sexual violence, abuses against LGBTQIA+ individuals, the persecution of political opponents, in a systematic campaign aimed to eradicate political opposition and civilians critical of the Government.

The Independent Experts Group was formed in 2024 and was assigned to investigate alleged violations from 2020 after the disputed reelection of President Alexander Lukashenko for the sixth term. The experts are volunteers and not UN staff and independent of any government.

It has been proved that the regime’s actions extend beyond simple repression. Evidence suggests certain violations constitute "imprisonment and persecution on political grounds" under inhumane conditions. Arrests often involve excessive force, accompanied by threats and intimidation, sometimes directed at individuals outside of Belarus, for alleged offenses like "discrediting" the State.This implies that the persecution isn't confined within Belarus's borders, leaving those in exile vulnerable and their families at home under pressure.
Detainees report being subjected to a range of abuses, including sleep deprivation, confinement in overcrowded and unsanitary cells, denial of medical care, and forced to make "repentance videos" after enduring physical and psychological abuse. These abuses include beatings, electric shocks, and even threats of rape.
The targeting of LGBTQIA+ individuals is especially brutal, with security forces employing homophobic slurs, beatings, sexual humiliation, and threats.

To end Belarus's cycle of impunity, identifying and holding perpetrators of human rights violations and crimes against humanity accountable is crucial.

The Group of Experts calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all individuals unjustly or arbitrarily imprisoned for the mere exercise of their human rights. It also demands improved conditions in detention facilities, transparent investigations into past human rights violations, and the repeal of counter-extremism laws that stifle dissent. Eventually, the Group presents some recommendations to UN Member States, to keep monitoring the situation, support human rights organizations, protect refugees, and pursue accountability.