A/HRC/RES/58/19 Alarmed by reports of deaths of persons in detention and continuing systematic and widespread acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, including sexual and gender-based violence, against individuals, including women, children, youth and persons with disabilities, detained and arrested by Belarusian authorities in inhumane conditions and deprived of timely and adequate medical services and independent legal assistance, with many subject to forced labour or arbitrary punishment, including solitary confinement and prolonged incommunicado detention, which in some cases could amount to enforced disappearance, Deploring the continuing lack of independence and impartiality of the judiciary, the systematic denial of due process and violations of fair trial guarantees under international human rights law, including by the continued prolonged detention of persons without any opportunity to challenge the lawfulness of the detention, multiple prosecutions for the same act, the lack of information about the charges brought against them and the denial of any legal defence or of a legal defence of their own choosing, and deploring also the widespread use of trials in absentia and recourse to closed trials, disproportionately severe sentences for political prisoners and the intimidation, arbitrary arrests and detentions of, disciplinary measures against and disbarment of lawyers for providing services to those arrested and sentenced on politically motivated grounds, Seriously concerned about ongoing oppressive restrictions on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association and expression, both online and offline, resulting in the prosecution, harassment, intimidation, repression and forced exile of human rights defenders, civil society and independent media, including the eradication of independent associations through the large-scale ordered closure or forced self-closure of civil society organizations and all independent trade unions, the tightening of the State’s control of schools and religious communities, enhanced digital surveillance, often leading to prosecutions, arbitrary decisions to cancel professional licences, the revocation of the accreditation of foreign media workers, the banning of independent media outlets, the blocking of independent media websites and Internet shutdowns, State-sponsored disinformation in Belarus, numerous raids on private houses and offices, the arbitrary seizure of assets and properties and other repression of those living abroad, and widespread crackdowns against the relatives and supporters of political prisoners and those who have left the country, Noting with grave concern that, according to the Group of Independent Experts on the Situation of Human Rights in Belarus, building on the findings of the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, some of the violations committed in Belarus may amount to crimes against humanity, specifically imprisonment and persecution on political grounds, in that they were committed intentionally as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a segment of the civilian population, with knowledge of the attack, Reiterating serious concern at the ongoing use of legislation as part of a Statedirected, widespread and systematic policy for eradicating civic space and any actual or perceived dissent, including to restrict the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, association, expression, religion or belief, both online and offline, and other human rights in violation of international human rights law, including the amendments to the Law on Mass Gatherings, the Law on Mass Media, the Law on the Bar and Legal Advocacy, the amendments to the Criminal Code, adopted in May and December 2021, May 2022 and March 2023, the Code of Administrative Offences adopted in January 2022, the amendments to the Constitution adopted in the referendum held on 27 February 2022, the amendments to the Law on Citizenship adopted in January 2023, Presidential Decree No. 269 adopted in August 2023, the Presidential Decree adopted in September 2023 on procedures for the issuance of documents and the performance of certain actions, the amendments to the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations adopted in December 2023, Presidential Decree No. 32 adopted in January 2024 and the amendments to the Law on the Investigative Committee adopted in May 2024, Noting with deep concern the increased use of “terrorism-” and “extremism-” related legislation to intimidate, repress and prosecute organizations for expressing dissent or defending human rights and individuals for exercising their fundamental freedoms, 2