Human rights defenders about torture in Belarus: Nature of crimes against humanity
Belarus is in the midst of not only the political crisis, but the human rights crisis as well, Gerard Staberok, Secretary General of the World Organisation for the Prevention of Torture (OMCT), believes.
In his opinion, the steps the Belarusian authorities took in the wake of the 2020 presidential election can be considered as carefully planned acts by the nature of crimes against humanity.
“Torture and brutal treatment of [the demonstrators] was deliberate,” he stressed.
According to the human rights defender, the repressions continue, but the regime is showing reluctance to change the current situation.
“The authorities do not admit that this problem exists, they do not sympathise with the victims, they do not apologise,” Staberok stressed.
Instead, victims are persecuted, he said; those who dare to file complaints often appear before court then.
Gerald Staberock announced that OMCT, together with Belarusian Human Rights Centre Viasna, would present a report on ‘tortures as the Belarusian government’s state policy’ at the UN Human Rights Council session on September, 18. The Secretary General hopes that the UN will adopt a corresponding resolution and start collecting evidence of human rights violations in Belarus.
