Police crackdowns on peaceful demonstrations in Belarus are subtly intensifying. Security forces are increasingly using violence against women, as videos from Minsk over the weekend show. According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, reports of violence in Belarus are alarming.
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Sexual violence, beatings and torture. Belarusian regime attacks protesting women. | Video: Reuters
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The human rights situation in Belarus has deteriorated dramatically since the “neither free nor fair” re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, Germany’s UNHRC envoy Michael von Ungern-Sternberg argued with the EU’s initiative to open a panel meeting.
The Human Rights Council must not remain silent, given the violence, arbitrary arrests and sometimes the horrific treatment of detainees, Ungern-Sternberg said.
The Belarusian representative, who did not have the right to vote, denied the allegations. “External pressure and interference are completely counterproductive,” the diplomat was quoted as saying by the DPA.
Bachelet stressed that all incidents must be documented in order for those responsible to be brought to justice. She also said that her office was receiving alarming reports of the continuing violent repression of peaceful demonstrations in Belarus. “Reports continue to indicate that law enforcement is using force unnecessarily or excessively,” Bachelet said in Geneva today.
After the disputed presidential election on August 9, Lukashenko, 66, declared himself the winner, launching mass protests. On Sunday in Minsk alone, more than 100,000 people demonstrated during Lukashenko’s resignation. According to the Belarusian Interior Ministry, 774 people were detained.
The UN Human Rights Council, which meets three times a year, reports on the human rights situation in all UN member states.
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