A/HRC/RES/41/22
United Nations
General Assembly
Distr.: General
23 July 2019
Original: English
Human Rights Council
Forty-first session
24 June–12 July 2019
Agenda item 4
Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council
on 12 July 2019
41/22.
Situation of human rights in Belarus
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,
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 38/14 of 6 July 2018, and regretting the inadequate response
and lack of cooperation by the Government of Belarus to the requests made by the Council
in those resolutions, including on access of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human
rights in Belarus and other special procedure mandate holders to the country, while
acknowledging the growing openness of Belarus to cooperation with the Office for
Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Union and bilateral partners,
Recalling also Human Rights Council resolutions 5/1 and 5/2 of 18 June 2007,
1.
in Belarus;1
Welcomes the report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
2.
Expresses continued concern at the situation of human rights and fundamental
freedoms in Belarus, especially the undue restrictions and prohibitively burdensome
processes relating to the exercise of freedoms of peaceful assembly, association and
expression, while acknowledging some improvement in the freedom to organize events, if
they are notified in time to the authorities responsible, in accordance with the amendments
introduced to the Law on Mass Events, which entered into force in January 2019;
3.
Also expresses continued concern at the allegations of torture and inhuman or
degrading treatment by law enforcement and prison officers, which are not properly
investigated by the authorities; the ongoing harassment of human rights defenders, and of
trade unions and civil society organizations, many of which are denied registration and some
of which are occasionally raided by the authorities; the arrest and fining of journalists for
performing their journalistic activities and various infringements of freedom of expression,
including by the media, as well as the entry into force of legislative amendments introducing
1
A/HRC/41/52.
GE.19-12540(E)