A/HRC/RES/49/26 treatment or punishment, and to stop carrying out arbitrary arrests, detentions and imprisonment, and immediately cease the arbitrary criminal or administrative prosecution, harassment, intimidation and repression, of persons for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms, and urges the Belarusian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners arbitrarily detained in the lead-up to, during and since the 2020 presidential election, while noting the release of a few political prisoners to date; 10. Calls upon the Belarusian authorities to ensure free, fair and inclusive elections, to enter into a genuine national dialogue with the political opposition and civil society, and to guarantee the independence of the judiciary and of the legal profession in order to restore and maintain the rule of law, democracy and respect for human rights law and standards, and to that end to engage meaningfully with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe; 11. Recognizes the important role played by journalists and other media workers, lawyers and civil society, including human rights defenders, in particular women human rights defenders, in continuing to carry out essential human rights work, including by documenting and monitoring, in challenging circumstances, allegations of human rights violations in the lead-up to, during and since the 2020 presidential election, and encourages all efforts, including by Belarusian and international civil society groups, to document human rights violations in Belarus; 12. Stresses the need for accountability for human rights violations, which is critical for the prevention of further violations, and urges the Belarusian authorities to ensure prompt, effective, independent, transparent and impartial investigations into all reported human rights violations committed in the lead-up to, during and since the 2020 presidential election, including cases involving deaths, arbitrary detention, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment of detainees and protesters and of enforced disappearance and forced expulsions, and to guarantee that victims have access to justice and redress, including reparations, and that perpetrators are held fully accountable, in compliance with fair trial guarantees under international human rights law, and regrets that, to date, there is no indication that such investigations have been opened in Belarus following the thousands of complaints filed by victims of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and in relation to the deaths in the context of the protests; 13. Urges the Belarusian authorities to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, in particular by granting her free, full and unhindered access to the territory of the country, including unhindered access to all places of detention, to extend full cooperation to the thematic special procedures of the Human Rights Council and to the treaty bodies, to restore their cooperation with and extend full and unhindered access to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and to implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner; 14. Decides to extend, for a period of one year, the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and requests the High Commissioner, with the assistance of the three appointed experts and special procedure mandate holders, to continue: (a) To monitor and report on the situation of human rights, to carry out a comprehensive examination of all alleged human rights violations committed in Belarus since 1 May 2020 in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election and in its aftermath, including the possible gender dimensions of such violations, to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding the alleged violations, and to collect, consolidate, preserve and analyse information and evidence and, where possible, to identify those responsible with a view to contributing to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims, such as through relevant judicial and other proceedings, including criminal proceedings in courts and tribunals that have competent jurisdiction; (b) To make general recommendations on improving respect for and the protection of human rights, and to provide guidance on access to justice, including reparations, and accountability, as appropriate; (c) To engage with the Belarusian authorities and all stakeholders, in particular Belarusian, regional and international civil society, international human rights organizations, 3