Human rights defenders and civil society organizations

Cases
Case status
Unknown
Location of case in SG report
2022-010-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2022
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 53.709807

Longitude: 27.953389

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Belarus
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Country
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
  • UN (Dep.) High Commissioner on Human Rights
Dates of prior UN action
15 July 2021, 23 September 2021
Type of record
General situation addressed
Gender
Gender unclear
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Type of rights defended
  • Unclear in SG Report
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Belarus
Reprisal information
  1. In the context of an intensified crackdown on human rights defenders and civil society organizations, the High Commissioner for Human Rights and special procedures mandate holders addressed multiple raids, arrests of human rights defenders as well as the dissolution of a large number of civil society organizations, including long-standing partners of the UN human rights bodies and mechanisms. Legislative changes during the period reportedly affected the ability and willingness of civil society actors to engage with the UN were also addressed.
  2. In her 2022 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus noted that, unlike in previous years, the report withheld information about the civil society organizations that contributed input noting the high risks of reprisals that individuals and groups face for engaging with international human rights mechanisms (para. 17). Noting the “virtual annihilation” of civil society, she referred to reprisals against two NGOs for their cooperation with the UN (paras. 93–96, and see also Annex II below).
  3. The Special Rapporteur expressed concerns about amendments to the Criminal Code in June 2021 and January 2022 (ibid., paras. 24–30). In particular, she noted that criminal liability for “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” was subject to an increased penalty of four years of imprisonment and applicable, among other things, to the “dissemination of deliberately false information about the political, economic, social, military or international situation of the Republic of Belarus” (ibid para. 24). The Special Rapporteur also noted that the concept of “extremist activities” was significantly expanded to include acts such as disseminating deliberately false information about the situation in Belarus and discrediting Belarus (ibid para. 29).
  4. According to information received by OHCHR, the dissolution of civil society organizations, including long-standing partners of the UN, has negatively impacted their ability to engage with the UN during the reporting period. The aforementioned legislative changes, in particular, increased penalties for “discrediting the Republic of Belarus” and expanded of the concept of “extremist activities” and have reportedly inhibited civil society actors from cooperating or visibly sharing information and testimony with the UN given the increased risks of criminal liability. Names and details of individuals and groups affected are withheld for fear of further reprisals.
Types of reprisals suffered
  • Administrative reprisal
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
  • Property damage/raid/search/confiscation
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
Yes
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
Yes
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
Yes
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
0