A/HRC/RES/46/20
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
29 March 2021
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-sixth session
22 February–24 March 2021
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 24 March 2021
46/20.
Situation of human rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020
presidential election and in its aftermath
The Human Rights Council,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the
provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenants on
Human Rights and other applicable human rights instruments,
Having held an urgent debate at its forty-fifth session to discuss the situation of human
rights in Belarus in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath,
Recalling all resolutions adopted by the Commission on Human Rights, the General
Assembly and the Human Rights Council on the situation of human rights in Belarus,
including Council resolution 45/1 of 18 September 2020,
Recalling also the statements made by the United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights on 12 August 2020 and 25 February 2021, the statement made by the Office
of the Secretary-General on 13 August 2020 and the joint statements made by special
procedure mandate holders of the Human Rights Council since the presidential election held
in Belarus on 9 August 2020,
Welcoming the interim oral update presented by the High Commissioner to the Human
Rights Council on 4 December 2020 and the subsequent report of the High Commissioner on
the situation of human rights in Belarus in the context of the 2020 presidential election1 and
the recommendations and conclusions contained therein, including the recommendation that
the Government of Belarus ensure that independent, impartial, prompt, thorough, effective,
credible and transparent investigations are conducted into all allegations of human rights
violations in the context of peaceful protests, including those involving loss of life and
injuries, and torture or ill-treatment, including acts of sexual violence, and that perpetrators
are brought to justice and adequately held to account,
Recalling the report of the rapporteur of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe, appointed under the Moscow Mechanism, invoked with regard to
alleged human rights violations during the presidential election of 9 August 2020 in Belarus,
and the recommendations contained therein,
1
A/HRC/46/4.
GE.21-04108(E)