An open letter to Biden’s administration on the human rights violations in Belarus

Following Aliaksandr Lukashenka’s controversial re-election on August 9, Belarusian security forces unjustly imprisoned thousands of people and subjected hundreds to torture and other forms of ill-treatment in an attempt to thwart the demonstrations. The abuse, on the other hand, simply helped to inflame public resentment as thousands of people continued to march peacefully in support of fair elections and accountability for atrocities.

Arrests of key opposition candidates, arbitrary refusals to register certain opposition candidates for the election, and claims of massive fraud disrupted the presidential elections.

Officials and police used excessive force including rubber bullets, stun grenades, and tear gas to suppress protesters in Minsk and other big cities. Riot police arrested almost 7,000 protestors and passers-by, torturing and ill-treating hundreds of them and keeping them in inhumane and humiliating conditions. As a result of police actions, at least four protestors have died.

Women made up a large portion of the prisoners. Because women were at the center of the protests, officials employed sexist techniques against them, such as threatening them with child custody loss and calling them aggressive and unfeminine.

On bogus allegations ranging from widespread riots to hooliganism, officials filed almost 500 criminal cases against potential presidential candidates, their campaign staff, and peaceful demonstrators. Authorities also filed criminal accusations, including tax evasion and fraud, against businessmen and employees of firms that supported certain opposition presidential candidates.

From January to mid-November 2020, the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAJ) recorded over 500 cases of harassment, imprisonment, fines, and temporary arrests of journalists. Authorities detained and charged journalists who covered and livestreamed protests, accusing them of engaging in unapproved mass gatherings and illicit media production. After the election, the persecution of journalists became more severe. From August through the end of September 2020, BAJ received 54 reports of police abuse against journalists.

Belarus is the only European country that still uses the death sentence. Belarus is reported to have killed one person in the last year, who was condemned to death in January 2019. There are four prisoners on death row right now. Their pleas were dismissed by the Supreme Court, and they are all facing death.

Relations with much of the international community significantly deteriorated, and there were targeted sanctions against a number of Belarusian officials involved in electoral and human rights breaches. Russia offered financial aid to the Belarusian government as a show of solidarity.

Washington Center For Human Rights urges Biden’s administration to sanction all Belarusian state-owned businesses and people that support the Belarusian Presidential Administration. We call on the Belarusian authorities to release all the political prisoners, investigate incidents of political kidnappings and killings, and Abolish the death penalty.