Belskaya at UN Human Rights Council session accused authors of report on Belarus of hypocrisy and double standards
The so-called Group of Experts at the UN Human Rights Office, which is spreading disinformation about the presidential elections in Belarus in 2020 and the subsequent situation in its biased reports, is an instrument of pressure and does not adhere to these principles. As noted by the Permanent Representative of Belarus to the United Nations Office and Other International Organisations in Geneva, Larysa Belskaya, Belarus does not recognise such mandates, sb.by reports.
Larisa Belskaya primarily confirmed Belarus' firm commitment to human rights obligations and readiness to co-operate with the UN member states, the human rights system and its mechanisms on the principles of respect for state sovereignty, impartiality and universality.
As for the biased report and its disinformation regarding the presidential elections, the Permanent Representative of Belarus noted, “The source of the anonymous ‘first-hand interviews’ referred to in the report is probably represented by the ‘activists’ who fled the country and who failed to undermine the Belarusian state through an attempt at a colour revolution, participation in illegal anti-government actions and clashes with law enforcement officers. They are now propagating extremist calls and plans to overthrow the legitimate government – up to the armed conflict in Belarus – from abroad.”
As noted by Ms. Belskaya, these persons neither legally nor actually represent either Belarus or its people. “The attempts made by Western governments to present them as allegedly ‘leaders’ of democratic forces are a malicious distortion of the principles of international law and the UN Charter in order to legitimise activities against the sovereign Belarusian state and interference in its internal affairs. The puppet structures, fully funded by Western taxpayers, are trying to preserve their incomes and the status of allegedly ‘political opponents’ of the Belarusian authorities. To achieve this, they are taking any steps – such as the spread of disinformation and calls for increased Western sanctions against Belarus,” she said.
The Permanent Representative of Belarus added that the report based on such sources deliberately distorts the real situation in the country and ignores any alternative points of view, “The legitimate actions of law enforcement agencies to contain riots prepared in advance and financed from abroad, to detain their initiators and active participants, as well as fair sentences of Belarusian courts in relation to violators of the law, are unreasonably interpreted as repression. Similar actions of law enforcement officers in Western countries are regarded as the protection of order and democracy. Is this not hypocrisy? The absurdity of the accusations of the Belarusian authorities of possible ‘crimes against humanity’ and the policy of double standards of Western countries are especially obvious against the background of their hypocritical and cynical assessments of situations in armed conflict zones supported by the West.”
Ms. Belskaya also touched upon the topic of so-called political prisoners raised in the OHCHR report, “There are no political prisoners in Belarus. Those serving sentences have been convicted of specific crimes, including against national security. In Belarus, violators of the law are treated equally, regardless of the fact that they are favourites of foreign politicians or act in their interests.”
The Belarusian diplomat drew attention to another factor, “It is significant that – for the authors of the report and the Western delegations to the Human Rights Council – the main criterion for independence and democracy of Belarusian political parties, trade unions, NGOs or the media is exclusively their anti-state position and activities. All others – represented by almost 4m-strong trade union movement, patriotic political parties, hundreds of NGOs that constructively interact with the state in all spheres of public life – are denied independence and democracy!”
This report is an example of how the interest of a number of Western countries in turning human rights into a ‘strategy’ for provoking internal destabilisation, encouraging actions against legitimate authorities and their distorted information support is being promoted through the Human Rights Council mechanisms. Ms. Belskaya explained, “A strategy is being implemented under the slogan of the universality of human rights to change the systems of government chosen by peoples or weaken the states that are following their own path of development, rather than going in line with the geopolitical interests of the West. This strategy is a consequence not only of disrespect for sovereign states, but also of disregard for the price that the peoples of developing countries pay for Western experiments to stimulate colour revolutions and impose the so-called ‘rules-based order’.” Addressing the participants of the 55th session of the UN Human Rights Council, Ms. Belskaya summed up, “The real situation in Belarus drastically differs from the false picture drawn in the report. The country is developing successfully, despite large-scale Western sanctions. In the context of a national dialogue, with the support of the overwhelming majority of citizens, constitutional reform has been implemented, the political system is being updated, all branches of government are being reformed, elections to Parliament and local authorities have been held, and civil society is actively developing. The state policy of Belarus will always focus on strengthening the people’s welfare, protecting the interests of the Belarusian state and the rights of Belarusian citizens, including the right to independent, evolutionary and peaceful development.”
