UN General Assembly discussed the situation of human rights defenders

Belarus isn’t mentioned in the report specifically, as the report only describes the general situation with human rights defenders around the world.

The report was presented by Michel Forst, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, at the 69th session of the UN General Assembly in New York on October 23 in the format of interactive dialogue.

Tatsiana Raviaka, the representative of Human Rights Center "Viasna", commenting on the official report of the representative of the Belarusan State said that she believes that “the representative of Belarus is ruling by the common position of the Belarusan authorities against people who suffer from prosecution for trying to exercise their rights: they are represented by the State like common criminals. And when human rights defenders are presenting them from the other position, it turns out that, according to the authorities, they are just speculating. Here we can say about the substitution of notions, which the Belarusan authorities use in order to look better in the eyes of the international community."
On October 24 in New York a side event with the participation of the Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, the Special Rapporteur on Belarus and human rights defenders themselves took place. As Tatsiana Raviaka said to the press service of HRC “Viasna”, “it is the main event for us, where we have an opportunity to present the situation not only with human rights defenders, but also with the wider civil society and the human rights situation in Belarus in general."
Report on the situation in Belarus will be presented on October 28 by Miklos Haraszti, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus.

Miklos Haraszti in a report called on the Belarusan authorities immediately release all political prisoners and to ensure the full rehabilitation of their civil and political rights.

The report notes that as for July 2014 there are seven political prisoners in the prisons: Mikalai Statkevich, Eduard Lobau, Mikalai Dziadok, Ihar Olinevich, Yauhen Vaskovich, Artsiom Prakapenka and Vasil Parfiankou.
Haraszti also recommends the Belarusan government guarantee the independence of civil society organizations and human rights defenders, to create the conditions to ensure that they can work without fear of reprisal. The report also notes that despite "some limited improvements" over the last year the situation with human rights in Belarus has not changed significantly.