Irina Deshevitsyna: The mandate of the Special Rapporteur to Belarus is not imposed

The arguments of Belarusan delegation which had refused to admit the resolution of the UN Human Rights Council as well as founding of the mandate of the special reporter on Belarus look groundless.

This opinion was shared to EuroBelarus Information Service by an expert, the head of Lawtrend International Group Irina Deshevitsyna.

Let us recall that during the 67^th session of UN General Assembly on November, 20 Belarusan delegation stated that it doesn’t support the resolution on UN Human Rights Council (HRC) report.

Counselor of the Permanent Representation of Belarus to the United Nations Larisa Belskaia emphasized that this decision was taken by Belarusan side for the reasons based on principle, including those connected with the adoption of UN Council Resolution in July of 2012 which set up a politically motivated mandate of the Special Rapporteur to Belarus. “These decisions imposed on the Council by a group of the European Union states deliberately misrepresent the situation concerning human rights in our country and they are aimed at interference in domestic affairs of Belarus”— Belarusan Ministry of Foreign Affairs web-site reports.

Larisa Belskaia also expressed her concern over UN Human Rights Council expanding habit of resorting to such decisions in order to bring political pressure on sovereign states and usage of double standards in HRC activities ad captandum the interest of certain groups of states.

It is impossible to call the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to Belarus politically motivated or forced by EU, explains Irina Deshevitsyna. She reminds that not only the members of the European Union spoke in support of the resolution. For the adoption of the mandate voted African states – Botswana, Benin, Congo, Burkina Faso, Mauritius; Asian -- the Philippines, Jordan, Maldives; Latin America – Chile, Costa Rica, Peru; North America – the USA. Thus, countries representatives of all the regional groups found sufficient grounds for the adoption of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to Belarus.

-- Belarusan delegation tries to argue the refusal of our country to admit UN Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution which established the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to Belarus. However, the arguments of the authorities look groundless – says the Lawtrend expert.— When making this decision the members of HRC took into account various factors: systematic character of human rights abuse in Belarus, the practice of appointment special reporters by the Council as well as the  revealed inefficiency of other mechanisms of influence on the situation in the sphere of human rights in Belarus. Political aims of the European Union were not taken into account by the UN Human Rights Council members for sure.

During the 67^th session of UN General Assembly Larisa Belskaia stated that Belarus intends to continue constructive collaboration with the Council and its special theme procedures for the purpose of real encouragement and protection of all the categories of human rights in the countries all over the world without exception.

-- The statement that “ Belarus intends to continue constructive collaboration with Council and its special theme procedures” as it is understood by the authorities, for some reason doesn’t apply to the collaboration with HRC on the issue of civil and political liberties,-- believes Irina Deshevitsyna,-- The evidence of it is, for instance, disregard of the inquiries about visits of the special reporters on the problem of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association, about conditions of the human rights activists, about the problem of torture.