Belarus cultural rights eroding despite mass release of political prisoners, UN expert says – JURIST

Cultural rights in Belarus are still being eroded despite recent release of political prisoners, Special Rapporteur Nils Muižnieks said on Monday. Muižnieks welcomed the release of over 400 individuals, but said that the human rights situation has not improved, stating that “sustainable progress requires an end to politically motivated repression and accountability for past violations”.

In a report to the United Nations Human Rights Council, Muižnieks called for the Belarusian government to end the weaponization of “extremism” legislation against cultural actors, educational institutions, and publishers, ensure protection of artistic freedom and cultural expression, and end the harassment of exiled Belarusians and their relatives. The report highlighted the government’s practices of abusing anti-extremism legislation, growing patterns of transnational repression targeting Belarusians in exile, and arbitrary detention. He also condemned the government’s treatment of former detainees, who have been forced into exile, experienced invalidation of identity documents, and included in official extremism and terrorism lists, resulting in restrictions on employment, education, and banking.

In a statement, Muižnieks said that restrictions on human rights have evolved beyond targeting political activists alone, stating that repression in Belarus ‘has evolved beyond targeting political activists alone’ and now ‘encompasses cultural life, education, language, historical narratives and identity itself’.” The report identified persecutions of cultural workers, journalists, and scholars, restrictions on the use of the Belarusian language, and increasing pressure on ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities as violations of cultural rights.

Muižnieks’ report comes after UN human rights experts expressed concerns in June over the continued detention and alleged ill-treatment of individuals imprisoned on politically motivated charges. The experts had highlighted the detention of Aliaksandra Pulinovich, warning that her arrest in connection with anti-war graffiti protesting the war in Ukraine risked violating Pulinovich’s right to a fair trial. Pulinovich had been denied adequate access to legal defence and was publicly portrayed as guilty on state television prior to her conviction.

In March, human rights organizations cautiously welcomed the Belarus’s move to free hundreds of political prisoners after directly negotiating with the United States government. The United States lifted sanctions on Belarusian financial institutions in exchange for the mass release, though Amnesty International had warned that the release “must not be mistaken for justice”.