one of Viasna’s volunteer coordinators

Cases
Case status
Unknown
Location of case in SG report
2021-002-002
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2021
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: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
On 19 March 2021
Type of record
Unnamed individual/group/organization
Gender
Gender unclear
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

one of Viasna’s volunteer coordinators

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
  • Economic/social rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Engagement with UN body
  • Unclear
Dates of engagement
unclear
Type of attempted engagement
  • Unclear
Dates of mentioned reprisals
unclear
Location of mentioned reprisals
Belarus
Reprisal information

arrest and additional charges

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Charge/Investigation/Prosecution: Charge/Investigation/Prosecution - General
  • Detention/Imprisonment: Detention/Imprisonment - General
Alleged/likely perpetrators
State actors
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Was the case raised by a State at the UN?
Yes
Which State raised the case at the UN and when?

The case of the Human Rights Center ‘Viasna’ in Belarus was publicly raised by the group of countries BENELUX (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg), Liechtenstein and Germany.

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?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
1
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2022
Follow up information provided in SG report 0

In her 2022 report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus addressed the situation of Viasna’s staff and the targeting of the NGO. On 7 September 2021, a group of mandate holders addressed the arrest and criminal prosecution under articles 243 (tax evasion) and 342 (violation of public order) of the Criminal Code of several Viasna representatives, staff members and collaborators (BLR 8/2021). They expressed concern that these events unfolded in the context of the adoption of the UN Human Rights Council resolution 47/19 on the situation of human rights in Belarus, and the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus on 13 July 2021.

Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 0
2022, 7 September 2021
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
  • UN Special Procedures: Country
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic