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Summary: During its 20th session, the Human Rights Council adopted a resolution creating a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.
In a resolution (A/HRC/20/L7) regarding the situation of human rights in Belarus, adopted by a vote of 22 votes in favour, five against and 20 abstentions, the Council expresses grave concern at the findings of the High Commissioner for Human Rights that suggest the existence of a pattern of serious violations of human rights since 19 December 2010, of a systemic nature, and including intensified restrictions on the fundamental freedoms of association and expression as well as allegations of torture and ill-treatment in custody and impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations. The resolution - Urges the Government of Belarus to immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all political prisoners, to address reports of torture and ill-treatment and to put an immediate end to arbitrary detention of human rights defenders and arbitrary travel bans aimed at intimidating representatives of the political opposition and the media, as well as human rights defenders and civil society; - Decides to appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Belarus and to make recommendations for its improvement; to assist the Government of Belarus in fulfilling its human rights obligations; to offer support and advice to civil society; to seek, receive, examine and act on information from all relevant stakeholders pertaining to the situation of human rights in Belarus; and to report annually to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly and calls upon the Government of Belarus to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur and to provide him/her access to visit the country. The results of the vote are as follows: For: ( 22 ) ; Austria, Belgium, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chile, Congo, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Jordan, Maldives, Mauritius, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, United States. Against: ( 5 ) ; China, Cuba, Ecuador, India, Russian Federation. Abstentions: ( 20 ) ; Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Djibouti, , Guatemala, Indonesia, Koweit, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Nigeria, Qatar, Republic of Moldova, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay. Response by Belarus Belarus, speaking as the concerned country, said that a group of countries was trying to impose a mandate on the Council and that the European Union aimed to push its own political agenda through that resolution. The European Union was therefore trying to present Belarus as a special case of human rights violator, while the members of European Union had failed to tackle human rights violations in their own countries. Belarus categorically rejected the draft resolution proposed, it did not recognize the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and it was not going to cooperate with him. It did however recognize that there were certain universal mechanisms within the framework of the United Nations, to which it was going to adhere. It would continue to act in the interest of the Belarusian people and stressed that it did want to be a client but also a partner to the European Union. United Nations members should not become targeted only because they were pursuing an independent foreign policy. Belarus urged the Council to vote against the draft resolution.