78th Session of the Third Committee of the General Assembly
Interactive Dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Belarus
Statement on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States, delivered by H.E. Mr. Rytis Paulauskas, Permanent Representative of Lithuania
New York, 25 October 2023
Mr. Chair,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Nordic-Baltic States: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Norway, Sweden, and my own country Lithuania.
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her tireless and dedicated work, as well as the report which concludes that the human rights situation in Belarus continues to deteriorate and some of the violations may amount to crimes against humanity.
We remain deeply distressed by the extent of systematic repression and human rights violations against civil society, human rights defenders, journalists, media workers, lawyers, and others voicing their dissent.
Persisting impunity allows the repressive practices to continue, resulting in almost complete eradication of civic space, over 1500 political prisoners, and more than 100 000 Belarusians forced into exile.
We urge Belarus to immediately and unconditionally release and rehabilitate all political prisoners.
Internal repression also enables external aggression, as demonstrated by Belarus allowing to use its territory for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Recent reports indicate systematic and large-scale actions by Belarusian authorities to deport Ukrainian children to Belarus. These actions may constitute severe violations of international law, including the rights of the child.
We will continue to support the oppressed Belarusian people and remain committed to all efforts to ensure accountability.
Madam Special Rapporteur, how can international community better support the work of accountability mechanisms to ensure justice for the victims and survivors?
I thank you.