The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Belarus human rights situation under review at UN forum
Belarus’s rights record received support from some Member States and urgent calls for reform from others at a regular review at the United Nations in Geneva on Monday.
Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich, opened the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) meeting by appealing to other Member States to respect its current situation while commenting on its recent human rights record.
“The third cycle of the UPR is being undertaken by Belarus in a situation not only of a pandemic but also a complex situation with politics and society in our country following the elections to the presidency,” he said. “We have publicly several times spoken out on this subject. In that connection I would like to appeal to all participants today not to turn the UPR on Belarus only into a discussion of post-election events.”
Belarus faced written questions from the United States, Germany, Britain and others demanding greater safeguards on torture and freedom of expression, amid questions and comments from more than 90 delegations during the discussion.
“Belarus recognises that there are issues on which work needs to be done, and work will continue on these in the future,” Ambassador Ambrazevich said. “At the same time, we are convinced that only through respectful dialogue without external pressure, blackmail or conditions is it possible to make true progress, including on the basis of leading international experience.”
In September, UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed deep concern about the use of force against peaceful protestors in Belarus, where the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko in August prompted huge demonstrations, and the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the deteriorating rights situation.
In Monday’s UPR session, Russian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Gennady Gatilov welcomed the implementation by Minsk of previous UPR recommendations. “In conditions of increasing external pressure that would not be easy,” he added. “We take the view that non-interference in internal affairs of a sovereign state, including in electoral processes, is a basic principle of international law.”
US Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Andrew Bremberg, said that Belarus should immediately stop its “brutal crackdown” on peaceful protestors and hold those responsible to account. It should also immediately release all those detained in election-related protests and engage in a genuine dialogue with civil society, he added.
“Belarus’s 9 August presidential elections were fraudulent and we are deeply concerned by the ongoing use of violence, intimidation and repression against the Belarusian people,” Ambassador Bremberg said.
The UPR session also heard from Government bodies and ministries in Minsk, who commented by videolink. A Belarusian Interior Ministry official rejected earlier criticism, saying that the protests were deliberate provocations by trained fighters. Under interrogation, detained young people had said they had made a mistake by going to the protests, he said, adding that the demonstrators had been lured by fake news and used as “cannon fodder”.
The Interior Ministry official added that Belarus was allowed to limit the rights and freedoms of citizens in the interests of national security, public order, protection of morality and public health, and that there had been no identified cases of unlawful acts by the police.
- Wide shot, Assembly Hall, UN Geneva, venue for the Universal Periodic Review by Member States.
- SOUNDBITE (RU/EN): Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich: “The third cycle of the UPR is being undertaken by Belarus in a situation not only of a pandemic but also a complex situation with politics and society in our country following the elections to the presidency. We have publicly several times spoken out on this subject. In that connection, I would like to appeal to all participants today not to turn the UPR on Belarus only into a discussion of post-election events.”
- Wide shot, podium and delegates in the Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (RU/EN): Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich: “…that is natural and normal. Belarus recognises that there are issues on which work needs to be done, and work will continue on these in future. At the same time, we are convinced that only through respectful dialogue without external pressure, blackmail or conditions, is it possible to make true progress, including on the basis of leading international experience.”
- Medium shot, podium speakers in the Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (RU/EN): Permanent Representative of Russia to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Gennady Gatilov: “We welcome the implementation by Minsk of the recommendations made under the second cycle of the UPR. In conditions of increasing external pressure that would not be easy. We take the view that non-interference in internal affairs of a sovereign State, including in electoral processes, is a basic principle of international law.”
- Medium shot, showing Permanent Representative of Belarus to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Yury Ambrazevich, sitting close to another delegate, in line with COVID-19 distancing measures, Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- SOUNDBITE (English) — US Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Andrew Bremberg: “Belarus’s August 9 Presidential elections were fraudulent and we are deeply concerned by the ongoing use of violence, intimidation and repression against the Belarussian people. We call upon the Belarussian authorities to demonstrate restraint and engage in a genuine dialogue with Belarussian civil society.”
- Medium shot, delegates, profile, Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- Close-up, delegates, Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- Medium shot: presiding, President of the UN Human Rights Council for 2020, Austrian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger.
- Medium shot: delegates, TV camera operator, Assembly Hall, UN Geneva.
- Close up, UN logo on open door showing UPR delegate (blurred) to rear.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Venezuela earthquake aftermath: ‘breakdown of basic services’, disease risks and health workers missing – UN agencies
As search and rescue operations continue in Venezuela thousands of displaced people are struggling to find shelter while infectious diseases threaten to spread, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today addressed the 62 Human Rights Council and made the following remarks on the report on Venezuela.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday called for action to prevent more deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, as well as for investigations and accountability.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IOM , paho , UNHCR , OHCHR , IFRC
Aid agencies on Friday highlighted massive needs across Venezuela caused by a double earthquake disaster that has killed at least 235 people so far, with search and rescue for people trapped under the rubble still the top priority.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following remarks at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, on the latest report on sexual violence in the Sudanese conflict.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , IOM , IFRC
Ebola in DRC: first month of outbreak sees record number of cases – UN humanitarians
Ebola has been spreading at unprecedented speed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), bringing risk and fear into people’s daily lives, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
Afghanistan in Crisis: Drought, Malnutrition, and a Worsening Humanitarian Situation
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF , OCHA
After another deadly night of clashes in Lebanon, aid agencies issued a new alert for Gaza, where 265 Palestinian children have been killed since a ceasefire was announced in October 2025.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | IAEA
The head of the UN’s atomic energy agency on Thursday welcomed the signing of an initial Iran-US memorandum aimed at ending the war, before proposing “to sit down” with both parties to assist with concrete measures including verification of Iran’s nuclear programme, a critical sticking point.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , IFRC
‘Some people question whether Ebola is real’: trust is central in fighting DRC outbreak, humanitarians say
In Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), winning the race against the disease requires earning the community’s trust first and foremost, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Monday 15 June delivered his Global Update to the 62nd UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
2
1
1
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
As representatives of Iran and the United States reportedly prepared to sign a new peace agreement at the end of the week, the UN on Monday stressed the urgent need to open an aid corridor to transit the choked-off Strait of Hormuz and prevent a global hunger crisis.