United Nations General Assembly 80th Session Third Committee
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus, Mr. Nils Muižnieks
Statement delivered by Lithuania on behalf of Nordic-Baltic States
27 October 2025, New York
Thank you, Mr. Chair,
I speak on behalf of Nordic-Baltic States. We are grateful to the Special Rapporteur for his report emphasizing discrimination, forced and compulsory labour, and the right to form and join trade unions.
Over 1,200 individuals – journalists, human rights defenders, activists – are detained as political prisoners. The authorities deliberately maintain a cycle of releases and arrests, as well as degrading conditions of detention, including incommunicado, and the systematic use of torture, including sexual and gender-based violence, as described in Special Rapporteurs report for HRC59. Some of these human rights violations may amount to crimes against humanity, as reported by the OHCHR.
Repressive measures extend also beyond the country’s borders, with transnational persecution, abusive extradition requests, and trials in absentia. It is highly deplorable that released political prisoners suffer severe restrictions or are even deported from Belarus by force. It is therefore important to continue supporting Belarusian democratic forces and civil society, as well as international accountability mechanisms to end the impunity of the government. We note the referral of the situation in Belarus to the ICC. Accountability for international crimes, including, crimes against humanity, remains essential.
Mr Special Rapporteur,
[Could you please elaborate on the current situation of political prisoners in Belarus, particularly regarding their treatment and conditions of detention?]
Also, what concrete recommendations would you offer to the international community to strengthen respect for international human rights law and to prevent the Belarusian authorities from instrumentalizing political prisoners?
The Nordic-Baltic states also condemn any attempts by Belarus to instrumentalise migrants for political purposes, pushing people in vulnerable situations across the border to the EU.
We also repeatedly call on Belarus to cease its involvement in Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and its complicity in the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children.
We also urge Belarusian authorities to introduce a moratorium on the death penalty with a view to its abolition.
Thank you.
