25 February 2009
Serious Human Rights Abuses Continue in Belarus, Report Says
New State Department publication describes conditions as “very poor”
Washington — The Belarusian government’s record on human rights remains “very poor,” and in 2008 its authorities continued to commit “frequent serious abuses,” the U.S. Department of State says.
In its annual Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2008, issued February 25, the department said that the Belarusian government failed to meet its commitments for free and fair elections, continued to restrict civil liberties such as freedom of speech and right of assembly, used unreasonable force to disperse peaceful protesters, subjected political parties and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to harassment and prosecution, closed or fined religious institutions, abused prisoners and detainees, and imposed many other human rights violations.
“Since his election in 1994 as president, Alexander Lukashenko has consolidated his power over all institutions and undermined the rule of law through authoritarian means, manipulated elections, and arbitrary decrees,” the report says.
The department said that despite assurances by Lukashenko that the September 2008 parliamentary election process would be transparent, domestic observers were barred from polling stations or not allowed to observe the process at all.
Demonstrators and those who actively support opposition movements suffer gravely, the report says. Multiple demonstrations, from the peaceful “Freedom Day” rally in Minsk, to the small-business owners who assembled to protest a presidential order restricting hiring practices, have ended not only in arrests, but also with participants being savagely beaten by riot police.
Individuals have the right to report abuse committed by police to prosecutors, but the government rarely investigates any claims brought forth against security forces, the report says.
It described the criminal justice system as heavily saturated with corruption, inefficiency and political interference. A Constitutional Court empowered to adjudicate constitutional issues and examine the legality of laws is under the power of the president, who appoints six of the court’s 12 members.
Citing other sources, the State Department said that defense lawyers cannot examine investigation files, be present during investigations, or examine evidence against defendants until a prosecutor brings the case to court. Rarely were criminal defendants found innocent, the report says.
It added that the conditions in prisons and detention centers are seriously deficient; with insufficient food, medicine, warm clothing and bedding, and poor ventilation and sanitation resulting in rampant tuberculosis, pneumonia and other communicable diseases.
Freedom of expression long has been restricted and a new media law signed by Lukashenko on August 4, 2008, will allow Belarusian authorities to further restrict press freedoms, the department said.
It said that individuals cannot criticize the government without fear of reprisal, political meetings are videotaped by authorities, Web sites opposed to Lukashenko routinely are blocked, and journalists are warned against reporting on certain subjects.
Nongovernmental organizations and human rights groups are often received with hostility by the government, the report says. Frequent inspections, threats of deregistration and monitored correspondences are forms of harassment to which the government frequently resorts in an attempt to intimidate these groups from staying active, it says.
According to the Assembly of Democratic NGOs, a major NGO group in Belarus, more than 300 NGOs were closed by the government or forced to disband during the last four years due to a variety of politically motivated reasons.
Sexual harassment is reported to be widespread, but there are no laws specifically addressing it. NGOs that operate crisis shelters for women that endure domestic abuse receive limited funding and support from the government.
The Country Reports on Human Rights Practices are submitted annually by the U.S. Department of State to the U.S. Congress in compliance with a law that requires “a full and complete report regarding the status of internationally recognized human rights” in countries that receive U.S. assistance and all other countries which are members of the United Nations. The reports cover internationally recognized individual, civil, political and worker rights, as set forth in the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (See “Human Rights Report Sees Worldwide Demand for Greater Freedom.”)
For additional information, see the Introduction to the 2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices.
The full text of the country report on Belarus (in English) is available on the State Department Web site.
