You're reading: UN sets rights probe on Belarus, Russia against

GENEVA - The United Nations' Human Rights Council agreed on July 5 to appoint a special investigator into accusations of torture and oppression of government critics in Belarus, but the former Soviet republic said it would not cooperate.

The 47-nation council, where a majority of countries
normally oppose action aimed at specific countries, voted to
create the post, as proposed by the European Union, by 22 votes
to 5, with 20 abstentions.

Belarus, which rights groups call the last dictatorship in
Europe, told the council it was “a target of pressure and
persecution” by the EU, the United States and other Western
countries hoping to see the overthrow of President Alexander
Lukashenko.

“Belarus will not recognise the mandate of the special
investigator and will not cooperate with him,” its ambassador
Mikhail Khvostov said.

The special investigator will try to get a genuine picture
of human rights in Belarus – ideally through visits and
discussions with the government, opposition, and
non-governmental organisations – and report back to the council
and possibly the U.N. General Assembly.

Belarus looks likely to follow the examples of Iran and
North Korea which both refuse to let the investigator visit. In
that case he or she will seek the views of exiles and scour
official statements for the government’s version of events.

Lukashenko, a collective farm chairman in Soviet times and
in power since 1994, tolerates little dissent and has not
hesitated to jail opponents. Belarus is the only European
country that still has the death penalty.

The resolution was based on a report by U.N. human rights
commissioner Navi Pillay which catalogued rights violations
included limits on assembly, freedom of speech and rigged trials
as well as reports of torture and abuse in prisons.

Belarus said on Thursday the EU had “forced” the
independent-minded former South African and International
Criminal Court judge to bend to its political aims.

Russia, China, India, Cuba and Ecuador opposed the
resolution. Russia said the document was “subjective” and aimed
at putting pressure on Belarus rather than engaging in dialogue.

The council, set up in 2006, inherited a special
investigator for Belarus from the previous human rights
commission. But the post was abolished in 2007 by a majority
vote at the request of the Minsk government.

However, continued reports of oppression – denied by Belarus
– and a recent change in the mood of the council following
events in Libya and Syria had swung many countries away from
implicit backing of Lukashenko, diplomats say.

Council members voting for the resolution who would normally
oppose establishing a special country investigation included
Jordan, the Philippines, and Botswana as well as African states
Benin and Burkina Faso.

All council members from the Organisation of Islamic
Cooperation – which generally oppose investigations into
individual countries – ensured the resolution’s passage by
abstaining from the vote, apart from Jordan which voted for.